Resveratrol Research Analysis

Frank, Kurtis; Patel, Kamal; Lopez, Gregory; Willis, Bill

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Resveratrol

A molecule known for its content in wine, and falsely said to increase lifespan (does not appear to do so in mammals). It appears to be effective at protecting the heart and blood flow, and may be an insulin sensitizer. Does not add years to life, but may add life to years.

Research analysis led by Kamal Patel .
Reviewed by
www.blogrefugio.com Team
Last Updated: Apr 21, 2020

Summary of Resveratrol

Primary information, health benefits, side effects, usage, and other important details

Resveratrol is the beneficial compound found in red wine that is associated with life extension and some of the health benefits in wine. It is produced in grapes as a defense against toxins, and is contained in the skins.

It is most well known for supposedly increasing lifespan, and it might. It does not have a novel and unique mechanism for increasing lifespan in humans, although it does in some research animals (Drosophilia). It can, however, protect humans from heart disease and insulin resistance and may extend life by that mechanism. This is more of a 'adding life to years' action than an 'adding years to life' mechanism.

It also shares a lot of beneficial effects with many bioflavonoids, such as reducing the occurrence of osteoporosis, beneficially influencing fat cell production (in favor of long-term fat loss) and modulating blood pressure; usually a reduction of blood pressure.

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How to Take

Recommended dosage, active amounts, other details

The lower end of supplementation tends to be for cardiovascular health, insulin sensitivity, and longevity for somebody who is otherwise unhealthy is 5-10mg daily. For persons who are otherwise healthy, dosages between the range of 150-445mg have been used (with no clear indication for what is the optimal dose).

Supplementing for cerebral blood flow requires a dose in the 250-500mg range whereas supplementation for aromatase inhibition requires 500mg as well.

Supplementation of resveratrol refers to trans-resveratrol exclusively.

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The Human Effect Matrix summarizes human studies to tell you what effects Resveratrol has on your body, how much evidence there is, and how strong these effects are.
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Grade	Level of Evidence [show legend]
	Robust research conducted with repeated double-blind clinical trials
	Multiple studies where at least two are double-blind and placebo controlled
	Single double-blind study or multiple cohort studies
	Uncontrolled or observational studies only

Outcome	Magnitude of effect ? The direction and size of the supplement's impact on each outcome. Some supplements can have an increasing effect, others have a decreasing effect, and others have no effect.	Consistency of research results ? Scientific research does not always agree. HIGH or VERY HIGH means that most of the scientific research agrees.	Notes
Adaptations to Exercise	Notable	- See study	Supplementation of resveratrol before exercise can fairly effectively prevent the benefits associated with intense exercise (increases in oxygen capacity and HDL-C, reductions in LDL-C and blood pressure) in otherwise healthy men. Theoretically, the mTOR inhibition of resveratrol may also inhibit muscle protein synthesis.
Exercise-Induced Oxidation	Notable	- See study	The oxidation induced by exercise is effectively diminished with resveratrol, which is thought to underlie the inhibitory effects on exercise-induced adaptations.
Anaerobic Running Capacity	Minor	- See study	150mg resveratrol taken shortly after a workout appears to hinder the improvements in anaerobic physical performance seen with exercise alone; effects of resveratrol at other times uncertain.
Blood Flow	Minor	- See study	An improvement in blood flow (secondary to nitric oxide interactions) has been noted with low dose resveratrol, possibly relevant to high wine and grape product consumption
Blood Glucose	Minor	- See study	A decrease in blood glucose has been noted, practical significance unknown
Blood Pressure	Minor	- See study	Blood pressure has been reduced with resveratrol in persons with high blood pressure; influence on otherwise healthy persons unknown
Cerebral Blood Flow	Minor	- See study	500mg of resveratrol (high dose) has been confirmed to increase cerebral blood flow
DNA Methylation	Minor	- See study	A decrease in DNA methylation rates has been noted
General Oxidation	Minor	- See study	A decrease in oxidative biomarkers has been noted following resveratrol supplementation
Insulin	Minor	- See study	A decrease in insulin (fasting) has been noted in persons with metabolic syndrome
Insulin Sensitivity	Minor	Very High See all 3 studies	There appears to be an increase in insulin sensitivity seen with resveratrol at doses low enough to be achieved via wine consumption, all tests currently in obese and unhealthy persons
LDL-C	Minor	- See study	Possible decreases in LDL-C in persons at risk for heart disease, but it does not appear to be of large magnitude
Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction	Minor	- See study	10mg resveratrol appears to improve left ventricle function slightly
Liver Enzymes	Minor	- See study	In persons with elevated liver enzymes (not pathological, just metabolic syndrome) there appeared to be a protective effect on the liver from resveratrol supplementation
Metabolic Rate	Minor	- See study	A decrease in the metabolic rate has been noted in humans, thought to be related to the caloric restriction mimetic aspect
Power Output	Minor	- See study	150mg resveratrol taken shortly after a workout appears to hinder the improvements in power output (assessed via Wingate test) seen with exercise alone; effects of resveratrol at other times uncertain.
TNF-Alpha	Minor	- See study	A significant decrease in circulating TNFα levels have been detected with resveratrol supplementation; linked to antiinflammatory effects of resveratrol
Triglycerides	Minor	- See study	A decrease in triglycerides has been noted with resveratrol supplementation
VO? Max	Minor	- See study	150mg resveratrol taken shortly after a workout appears to hinder the improvements in VO2 max seen with exercise alone; effects of resveratrol at other times uncertain.
C-Reactive Protein (CRP)	-	- See study	No significant effect on C-reactive protein
Cognition	-	- See study	No significant influence on cognition in otherwise healthy persons (despite an increase in cerebral blood flow)
Fat Oxidation	-	- See study	Resting fat oxidation does not appear to be altered when 150mg resveratrol is taken shortly after exercise.
Fatigue	-	- See study	No significant influence on self-reported ratings of fatigue at rest
Glycogen Content	-	- See study	150mg resveratrol taken shortly after a workout appears does not appear to influence muscular glycogen content at rest.
HDL-C	-	- See study	No significant influence on HDL cholesterol
Total Cholesterol	-	- See study	No significant effect on total cholesterol levels
Acne	Notable	- See study	Topical application of resveratrol in a cream more than halved the rating scores of acne, and reductions in lesion count were also noted (but only to 10%)

Studies Excluded from Consideration

Confounded with phytate, vitamin d, and ferulic acid^[15]

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Frequently Asked Questions and Articles on Resveratrol

Can drinking wine really replace exercise?

Read full answer to "Can drinking wine really replace exercise?"

Things to Note

Is a Form Of

Nootropic

Other Functions:

Primary Function:

Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory

Also Known As

Red Wine Extract, 3, 5, 4′-trihydroxystilbene

Goes Well With

Other bioflavonoids like Genistein or Quercetin, perhaps through them being AMPK activators
Quercetin, again, via competing for sulphation in the duodenum and liver (increases Resveratrol bioavailability)
Calcium-D-Glucarate and increasing anti-oxidative potential and anti-thrombic effects of Resveratrol
Indole-3-Carbinol and some models of cancer
Curcumin and some models of cancer
Melatonin and neuroprotection (brain health) and possibly cardioprotection

Studies conducted by researcher Dipak Das (Das DK in Medline) are currently omitted from the full text due to possible fabrication, elaborated on in this retraction^[1] and include the following.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]^[14]

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Resveratrol

A molecule known for its content in wine, and falsely said to increase lifespan (does not appear to do so in mammals). It appears to be effective at protecting the heart and blood flow, and may be an insulin sensitizer. Does not add years to life, but may add life to years.

Summary of Resveratrol

Primary information, health benefits, side effects, usage, and other important details

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How to Take

Recommended dosage, active amounts, other details

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Human Effect Matrix

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Studies Excluded from Consideration

Stay on top of the latest research

Study Deep Dives

Frequently Asked Questions and Articles on Resveratrol

Things to Note

Is a Form Of

Other Functions:

Primary Function:

Also Known As

Goes Well With

An evidence-based supplement course

Research Breakdown on Resveratrol

1.1Sources

1.2Structure

1.3Chemical Stability

2.1Sirtuin System

2.2Mitochondrial Biogenesis

3.1Bioavailability and Absorption

3.2Kinetics (Supplementation)

3.3Kinetics (Food products)

3.4Cytology (Cellular Kinetics)

3.5Metabolism

3.6Excretion

4.1Hypothesized Mechanisms

4.2Studies in _Drosophilia_ and _C.Elegans_

4.3Studies in Mammals

5.1Neurokinetics

5.2Cerebral Blood Flow

5.3glutamatergic Neurotransmission

5.4Glial Interactions

5.5Neuroprotection

5.6Alzheimer's

6.1Atherosclerosis

6.2Blood Flow and Vasorelaxation

6.3Blood Pressure

6.4Cardiac Tissue

6.5Interventions and Survey Research

7.1Insulin sensitivity and Diabetes

8.1Interactions with Cell Cycles

8.2Acute fat loss effects

8.3Fat Metabolism Studies _in vivo_

9.1Performance

9.2Oxidation and Health

9.3Nutrient uptake and oxidation

9.4Genetic signalling

9.5Sarcopenia

9.6Oxidative Interactions

9.7Aerobic Performance

9.8Power Output

10.1Osteoblasts

11.1Testosterone

11.2Estrogen

12.1Liver

12.2Ears

13.1Nuclear (Genetic) Mechanisms

13.2Cytological (Cellular) Mechanisms

13.3Cancers most affected by resveratrol

13.4Breast Cancer

14.1Genistein

14.2Quercetin

14.3Leucine

14.4Indole-3-Carbinol

14.5Curcumin