The skins and seeds of grapes and berries contain resveratrol, making red wine rich in this compound. Research shows that it has great health benefits, but you need to know more about how much supplement you need to take.
If you’ve heard that red wine helps lower cholesterol, then you’ve probably heard of resveratrol, a plant compound widely touted in red wine.
But in addition to being a beneficial component of red wine and other foods, resveratrol also has health potential.
In fact, resveratrol supplements are associated with many amazing health benefits, including protecting brain function and lowering blood pressure (1, 2, 3, 4).
This article explains what you need to know about resveratrol, including its top seven potential health benefits.
Resveratrol is a plant compound that acts as an antioxidant. Major food sources include red wine, grapes, some berries, and peanuts (5, 6).
This compound tends to concentrate in the skins and seeds of grapes and berries. These parts of the grape are involved in the fermentation of red wine and therefore have a particularly high concentration of resveratrol (5, 7).
However, most resveratrol studies have been done in animals and in test tubes using large amounts of this compound (5, 8).
Of the limited studies in humans, most have focused on added forms of the compound, which are found in higher concentrations than those obtained from food (5).
Resveratrol is an antioxidant compound found in red wine, berries and peanuts. Many human studies have used supplements containing high levels of resveratrol.
Due to its antioxidant properties, resveratrol may be a promising supplement for lowering blood pressure (9).
A 2015 review concluded that high doses may help reduce the stress on artery walls when the heart beats (3).
This pressure is called systolic blood pressure and appears as the higher number in the blood pressure reading.
Systolic blood pressure usually increases with age due to atherosclerosis. When it is high, it is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Resveratrol may achieve blood pressure-lowering effects by helping to produce more nitric oxide, which causes blood vessels to relax (10, 11).
However, the study authors said more research is needed to make specific recommendations on the optimal dose of resveratrol for maximum effects on blood pressure.
Several animal studies have shown that resveratrol supplements can alter blood lipids in healthy ways (12, 13).
In a 2016 study, mice were fed a diet high in protein and polyunsaturated fat supplemented with resveratrol.
The researchers found that the average total cholesterol level and body weight of the mice decreased, while the level of “good” HDL cholesterol increased (13).
Resveratrol appears to affect cholesterol levels by decreasing the action of enzymes that control cholesterol production (13).
As an antioxidant, it also reduces the oxidation of “bad” LDL cholesterol. Oxidation of LDL leads to plaque formation in the arterial wall (9, 14).
After six months of treatment, participants taking the non-concentrated grape extract or placebo experienced a 4.5% reduction in LDL and 20% reduction in oxidized LDL (15).
Resveratrol supplements may improve blood lipid levels in animals. Being an antioxidant, they also reduce the oxidation of LDL cholesterol.
The compound’s ability to extend the lifespan of various organisms has become a major area of ​​research (16).
There is evidence that resveratrol activates certain genes, thereby preventing diseases of aging (17).
This works in a similar way to calorie restriction, which has shown promising results in increasing lifespan by changing the way genes are expressed (18, 19).
A review of studies examining this link found that resveratrol extended lifespan in 60% of organisms studied, but the effect was most pronounced in organisms not closely related to humans, such as worms and fish (20).
Animal studies have shown that resveratrol supplements may extend lifespan. However, it is unclear whether they will have a similar effect in humans.
Several studies have shown that drinking red wine may help slow age-related cognitive decline (21, 22, 23, 24).
It appears to interfere with protein fragments called amyloid beta, which are critical in the formation of the characteristic plaques of Alzheimer’s disease (21, 25).
While this research is interesting, scientists still have questions about the body’s ability to utilize extra resveratrol, limiting its immediate use as a brain-protective supplement (1, 2).
Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound that may protect brain cells from damage.
These benefits include improving insulin sensitivity and preventing diabetic complications (26,27,28,29).
One explanation for how resveratrol works is that it can prevent an enzyme from converting glucose into sorbitol, a sugar alcohol.
When too much sorbitol accumulates in the bodies of people with diabetes, it can cause cell-damaging oxidative stress (30, 31).
Resveratrol may even benefit diabetics more than non-diabetic people. In one animal study, red wine and resveratrol were found to be more potent antioxidants in diabetic mice than in nondiabetic mice (32).
Researchers say the compound could be used to treat diabetes and its complications in the future, but more research is needed.
Resveratrol helps mice improve insulin sensitivity and fight diabetes complications. In the future, patients with diabetes may also benefit from resveratrol therapy.
Herbal supplements are being studied as a way to treat and prevent joint pain. When taken as a supplement, resveratrol may help protect cartilage from breakdown (33, 34).
One study injected resveratrol into the knee joints of arthritic rabbits and found that these rabbits had less cartilage damage (34).
Other test-tube and animal studies have shown this compound’s ability to reduce inflammation and prevent joint damage (33, 35, 36, 37).
Resveratrol has been studied for its ability to prevent and treat cancer, especially in test tubes. However, results have been mixed (30, 38, 39).
It has been shown to fight a variety of cancer cells in animal and test tube studies, including stomach, colon, skin, breast, and prostate cancers (40, 41, 42, 43, 44).
However, since the studies to date have been conducted in test tubes and in animals, more research is needed to understand if and how this compound can be used to treat cancer in humans.
Studies using resveratrol supplements have found no significant risks. They appear to be tolerated well by healthy people (47).
However, it should be noted that there is currently a lack of conclusive recommendations regarding how much resveratrol a person should take to obtain health benefits.
There are also some warnings, especially regarding how resveratrol interacts with other medications.
Because high doses have been shown to prevent blood clotting in test tubes, they may increase bleeding or bruising when taken with anticoagulants such as heparin or warfarin, or certain pain medications (48, 49).
Resveratrol also blocks enzymes that help remove certain compounds from the body. This means that some medications may reach unsafe levels. These include some blood pressure-lowering drugs, anti-anxiety drugs, and immunosuppressants (50).
If you are currently taking medication, you may want to talk to your doctor before taking resveratrol.