Dr. Joseph Maroon has made the science of anti-aging accessible to “the rest of us.” In his new book The Longevity Factor: How Resveratrol and Red Wine Activate Genes for a Longer and Healthier Life, (Amazon link at the bottom of the posting) Dr. Maroon takes the reader on a tour of scientific research into the aging process and then tells us how we can benefit from these remarkable advances. It’s truly a must read if you care about your health.
While Maroon takes the reader all the way back to 19th century genetic research, the new news starts in 2003 when Dr. David Sinclair published a scientific paper on the activation of a genetic code that can block the aging process. The basic premise of that paper (further explored in subsequent publications) is that when you stress a plant (with drought or fungus, for example) the plant creates specialized molecules which Sinclair calls xeno factors. These xeno factors then interact with animals’ genes (when animals consume the plants) to make them far healthier and dramatically increase longevity.
The key thing to notice here is that it’s not just about living longer. It’s about lower incidences of cancer, heart disease, brain deterioration, and other maladies that plague us late in life. Dr. Maroon walks the reader through mountains of mainstream scientific publications that document the effects of these xeno factors. He also educates us about the nature and source of the xeno factors. You’ll read about polyphenols, which occur natural in plants such as grapes, apples, onions, berries and many other fruits and vegetables.
The heavy hitter on the list of polyphenols is resveratrol, the root of the so-called French paradox (the discovery that the French have a higher fat, higher calorie diet than Americans but have less heart disease). Scientific studies have demonstrated a long list of health benefits from resveratrol, including cardioprotective, neuroprotective, cancer protective, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and others. After reviewing the science of anti-aging overall, the book devotes an entire chapter each to diabetes, cardio protection, cancer, strokes, degenerative brain diseases, and other inflammatory conditions.
If anything on that list troubles you or a loved one, read the book!
The book also provides recipes to help increase your polyphenol and resveratrol intake through your diet. However, Dr. Maroon does note that to get sufficient quantities, you will likely want a supplement.
Shaklee’s Vivix is reviewed in Chapter 18 (“What’s a Person To Do?”). There are hundreds of resveratrol products on the market but Maroon reviews only a few of the most well researched, high quality choices. And he notes that one of the great things about Vivix is that it is more than resveratrol; it also contains other polyphenols that scientists believe boost the effectiveness of resveratrol significantly.
As a baby boomer, I’m excited about the potential here. I’ve begun taking Vivix and I’m thrilled with the early results. (I’ve only been taking it for about a month.) I’m sleeping better and feeling less forgetful. Oh, and those silly brown spots on the back of my hands are fading away! (OK, it’s mostly about health about the vanity thing is at play for me too….) With the research in this book, I now feel totally safe recommending this to my mom for her heart disease, friends with arthritis, my cousin with diabetes, etc.
LONGEVITY FACTOR BOOK on AMAZONVIVIX (Resveratrol) INFO 
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