Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant that is produced by some plants to protect against environmental stresses.  It is more commonly known, however, as the active ingredient in red wine that protects against heart disease.  Resveratrol very likely has more health benefits than protecing against heart disease however.According to Australian researcher Lindsay Brown, the author an upcoming Resveratrol study, "The breadth of benefits [of resveratrol] is remarkable – cancer prevention, protection of the heart and brain from damage, reducing age-related diseases such as inflammation, reversing diabetes and obesity, and many more...It has long been a question as to how such a simple compound could have these effects but now the puzzle is becoming clearer with the discovery of the pathways, especially the sirtuins, a family of enzymes that regulate the production of cellular components by the nucleus."  Further, "...resveratrol turns on the cell's own survival pathways, preventing damage to individual cells," and Resveratrol " remov[es] very reactive oxidants in the body and improv[es] blood supply to cells."  Moreover, "...low-dose resveratrol produces cellular protection and reduces damage, while high-dose resveratrol prevents cancers."