London - There’s a good reason to raise a glass of red wine to long life – because that’s exactly what it could deliver.
The popular tipple contains a “miracle ingredient” that could stop ageing in its tracks, researchers claim.
Resveratrol – an antioxidant found in grape skins that gives the wine its colour – can reduce wrinkles and halt the onset of time, say scientists.
And for the first time in the UK, high doses of the substance have been combined with other vitamins and minerals to create an effective anti-ageing moisturising cream.
When used in tandem with resveratrol capsules, the manufacturers claim it can reduce wrinkles in just 28 days. Makers of the treatment say there is already a waiting list of more than 3 000 for the 30ml cream and supplement pack, named Prototype, which goes on sale for £39.99 (about R600) in Boots this month.
Anna Britton, of manufacturers Concept Health Care, said: “It’s the only topical and supplement regime available which targets ageing from the inside and the out, and the results have been outstanding.
“Already we have women, and men, queuing up to order the cream and capsules.”
Resveratrol works by neutralising or mopping up dangerous oxygen molecules, known as free radicals, that attack cells and are blamed for health problems and ageing. The wonder substance is increasingly finding its way into health products after various studies credited it with health-boosting properties, from fighting cancer to warding off heart disease and obesity.
Tests have also shown that resveratrol also has the ability to slow the onset of wrinkles caused by exposure to the sun’s rays.
Around 250 men and women were asked to test the Prototype cream and capsules for between four and six weeks.
About 60 percent said they noticed fewer fine lines and wrinkles over a month, with 85 percent claiming a “dramatic reduction” in deep wrinkles.
Tests found that the beauty treatment was almost 20 times more effective than Coenzyme Q10, one of the most powerful and recognised anti-ageing antioxidants found naturally in the body.
The cream also contains low molecular weight hyaluronic acid, a more effective form of a substance that is found naturally in the body and has incredible abilities to quench dry skin and promote collagen, a lack of which causes skin to sag or wrinkle with age
Other ingredients include vitamin B6, which has been shown to speed up healing in skin injuries and burns, and vitamin C, which is essential for collagen synthesis and protection from the sun’s rays.
Vitamin E is also added for its ability to aid cell regeneration and short-term, rapid tightening of the skin, plus long-term strengthening of the skin’s connective tissue. - Daily Mail