Resveratrol (from Polygonum cuspidatum) · supplement
Evidence tier: insufficient
A longevity polyphenol, supports cardiovascular health, blood sugar, and cellular protection.
A stilbene polyphenol proposed to activate SIRT1, a sirtuin enzyme implicated in caloric restriction and longevity pathways, and to support endothelial nitric oxide production. Both are laboratory hypotheses. Neither has been demonstrated to operate in humans at oral supplement doses, and the pharmacokinetics argue that it cannot: the parent compound barely reaches the circulation intact.
Insufficient, and this is not a case of missing trials. Resveratrol has been tested repeatedly in humans and the trials have mostly come back null, which is a harder verdict than an empty file. MSK About Herbs summarises a meta analysis finding 'no benefit with resveratrol supplementation on cardiovascular risk factors', notes that recent cognition studies 'did not find any significant effect on memory or cognitive performance', and records that a Cochrane review found 'there is currently insufficient evidence for its use in diabetes'. An NIHR appraised systematic review of ten RCTs in 600 people found no significant effect on cholesterol or blood pressure. The longevity story, which is the entire reason anyone buys this molecule, has no human support at all: Semba et al. (2014, JAMA Internal Medicine) followed nearly 800 older adults in Chianti and found urinary resveratrol metabolite concentration was not associated with inflammatory markers, cardiovascular disease, cancer, or all cause mortality. One trial found resveratrol actively blunted the cardiovascular benefit of exercise training in older men (Gliemann et al., 2013), so the risk is not only that it does nothing. Two structural problems sit underneath. First, bioavailability: oral resveratrol is absorbed and then almost immediately conjugated to glucuronides and sulfates, so plasma parent compound is negligible and the doses that produce SIRT1 activation in a dish are unreachable in a person. Second, provenance: the field was seeded by Dipak Das of the University of Connecticut, whose work UConn found fraudulent across 145 counts of data fabrication and falsification in 2012, triggering retractions. The good faith literature that remains does not rescue the claim.
No established therapeutic dose, because no therapeutic effect is established. Trials have used roughly 100 to 1,000 mg daily. MSK records nausea, flatulence, abdominal pain and diarrhoea at 2.5 to 5 g daily.
100 to 500 mg daily with food. Higher doses with healthy fats for absorption.
May interact with anticoagulants and CYP3A4 substrates at high doses.
Pregnancy: avoid
Breastfeeding: avoid
Active compounds: trans-resveratrol, resveratrol glucuronide and sulfate conjugates (the forms actually present in plasma)
Remedies using Resveratrol · Browse by body system · Check it against what you take
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.