Resveratrol & Healthy Aging

Resveratrol & Healthy Aging

Resveratrol is the compound found in red grapes, and thus in red wine, that have resulted in red wine being sometimes touted as a heart-healthy drink.

However, at the levels contained in red wine, you’d need to drink 100–1000 glasses of wine per day (depending on the wine) to get the dose of resveratrol that was associated with heart health benefits in mouse studies.

Which also means: if you are not a mouse, you might need to drink even more than that!

Further reading: can we drink to good health?

Resveratrol supplementation

Happily, resveratrol supplements exist. But what does resveratrol do?

It lowers blood pressure:

Effect of resveratrol on blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

It improves blood lipid levels:

Consumption of resveratrol decreases oxidized LDL and ApoB in patients undergoing primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: a triple-blind, 6-month follow-up, placebo-controlled, randomized trial

It improves insulin sensitivity:

Resveratrol retards progression of diabetic nephropathy through modulations of oxidative stress, proinflammatory cytokines, and AMP-activated protein kinase

It has neuroprotective effects too:

Resveratrol promotes clearance of Alzheimer’s disease amyloid-beta peptides

Is it safe?

For most people, it is generally recognized as safe. However, if you are on blood-thinners or otherwise have a bleeding disorder, you might want to skip it:

Antiplatelet activity of synthetic and natural resveratrol in red wine

You also might want to check with your pharmacist/doctor, if you’re on blood pressure meds, anxiety meds, or immunosuppressants, as it can increase the amount of these drugs that will then stay in your system:

Resveratrol modulates drug- and carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes in a healthy volunteer study

And as ever, of course, if unsure just check with your pharmacist/doctor, to be on the safe side.

Where to get it?

We don’t sell it, but here’s an example product on Amazon for your convenience

Enjoy!