Evidence overview
Resveratrol
Resveratrol is a plant polyphenol that became famous for its association with the 'French paradox' and red wine. The clinical research base spans cardiometabolic markers, type 2 diabetes, anti-aging mechanisms, and inflammatory and anthropometric outcomes. The defining practical challenge is oral bioavailability - most ingested resveratrol is rapidly metabolized before reaching systemic circulation as free resveratrol.
Most studied for
Coverage pending
PubMed coverage
Coverage pending
Safety profile
In your full report
Mechanism class
Plant polyphenol in the stilbene class, found in grape skins, red wine, Japanese knotweed...
Study coverage
Study coverage by goal
PubMed counts for Resveratrol grouped by the goal each study targets.
Evidence overview is temporarily unavailable for Resveratrol.
Evidence
What the evidence covers
The terrain of the published literature, not its conclusions.
Resveratrol is a plant polyphenol in the stilbene class, found naturally in grape skins, red wine, and Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum, the source of most commercial supplements). The clinical literature spans cardiometabolic markers (blood pressure, lipid profiles, vascular function), type 2 diabetes (the focus of a major Cochrane synthesis), inflammatory and antioxidant biomarkers, anthropometric outcomes (body composition, waist circumference), anti-aging mechanisms (the sirtuin-activation hypothesis that drove early consumer marketing), and several smaller research areas. Bioavailability is unusually consequential for this supplement: most orally-ingested resveratrol is rapidly conjugated to glucuronide and sulfate forms, and only a small fraction reaches systemic circulation as free resveratrol.
The outcome dimensions covered most heavily are type 2 diabetes outcomes (anchored by a Cochrane systematic review), cardiometabolic markers including blood pressure and lipid profiles, inflammatory biomarkers and oxidative stress, anthropometric and obesity-related markers, and (more historically) the sirtuin-activation hypothesis that originally drove resveratrol's profile in the consumer market. The cancer-prevention and longevity claims that dominated early consumer marketing are an area of active and unresolved clinical research, distinct from the more-developed cardiometabolic and diabetes literature.
Demographically, the type 2 diabetes literature concentrates on adults with established or prediabetic glycemic status; the cardiometabolic literature on adults with metabolic risk factors. The pharmacokinetic limitation has driven development of various enhanced-bioavailability formulations (liposomal, micronized, cyclodextrin-complexed) and combination products with piperine or other absorption modifiers, none of which has established a dominant evidence position. Effective dose remains an unsettled question because bioavailability differences between formulations are substantial and the optimal systemic concentration for any given outcome is not well-established.
Safety
Safety summary
Common adverse events, drug interactions, and special populations.
Resveratrol is generally well-tolerated at typical supplemental doses (typically 100-500 mg/day in clinical trials, though some research has used much higher doses up to 5 g/day). The most-common adverse effects at higher doses are gastrointestinal: diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and nausea. No tolerable upper limit has been established. Drug interactions include theoretical inhibition of several CYP enzymes (similar to quercetin); resveratrol has been specifically studied with anticoagulants because of theoretical additive antiplatelet effects and may affect blood-thinner pharmacology. The compound activates some estrogen receptors at high doses, which has raised questions in hormone-sensitive conditions. People on anticoagulants, hormone-sensitive cancer treatments, or narrow-therapeutic-index medications should consult a clinician.
This summary is informational and not medical advice. Consult a clinician before starting or changing any supplement, especially if you take prescription medications.
Foundations
Foundation of the evidence base
A few studies the field anchors on. Not the full picture, just the starting points.
Umbrella meta-analysis providing the highest-level synthesis of resveratrol's anthropometric and inflammatory outcomes - the most-developed combined research area for the supplement in recent years.
View on PubMedMeta-analysis specifically on oral bioavailability - foundational pharmacokinetic reference document. Since resveratrol's effects depend fundamentally on how much actually reaches systemic circulation, this is essential context for interpreting any other claim about the supplement.
View on PubMedCochrane systematic review on resveratrol for type 2 diabetes - the supplement's most-clinically-anchored indication and the field reference document on this question.
View on PubMed
Limitations
What this page doesn't answer
Where the public summary stops and the personalized report begins.
This page summarizes the resveratrol literature at a general level. It does not address which formulation (standard, liposomal, micronized, cyclodextrin-complexed, or piperine-enhanced) is right for your specific goal, what dose to use given the bioavailability variability between products, whether your medication list flags any interaction concerns (especially anticoagulants), or whether your use case has clear evidence beyond mechanism-based hypothesis. Bioavailability and formulation selection are the most consequential practical questions for resveratrol, both of which the personalized report can address with your specific context.
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