Benefits of Resveratrol: What You Need to Know

Resveratrol is one of my favourite supplements. It is a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, heart-healthy, and other health benefits. Whether you want to reduce joint pain, improve your blood pressure, lower your risk of diabetes, or support your brain power, it has something for you.

It’s time for me to dedicate an entire article to resveratrol. Let’s uncover the secrets behind this powerful antioxidant.

What Is Resveratrol?

It is a natural plant compound found in the skin and seeds of red grapes, blueberries, raspberries, or mulberries. As it’s made from grapes, red wine is also high in resveratrol. It is a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory and other health benefits. Most research is done on resveratrol supplements, not on resveratrol-containing food, due to the higher concentrations in supplements (1, 2, 3, 4).

Benefits of Resveratrol

The health benefits of resveratrol include mitochondrial health, anti-aging, healthy blood pressure, better insulin sensitivity, brain health, and more. Let’s talk about the potential health benefits of resveratrol in detail.

Resveratrol and Mitochondrial Health

Your mitochondria generate energy to power your cells. It may help with that. According to a 2015 research published in the Journal of Neuroscience Research, resveratrol helps to activate SIRT1, which is a mitochondrial protein in the sirtuin family (5). This can lead to increased mitochondria levels, for improved energy production, lower inflammation, and better metabolic health. 

Resveratrol and Brain Health

This may also be beneficial for your brain health. A number of studies have linked drinking red wine to lower risk and pace of age-related cognitive decline and neurodegeneration (6, 7, 8, 9). According to a 2014 review published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience and a 2016 study published in the European Journal of Nutrition, resveratrol may reduce beta-amyloids, which are protein fragments that play a role in plaques related to Alzheimer’s disease (10, 11). It may also reduce brain damage and offer anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits (12).

Resveratrol and Anti-Aging

It affects gene expression (12). This may also offer some anti-aging effects. An antioxidant-rich diet and antioxidant supplements may help to improve health and extend your lifespan. It is a powerful antioxidant. According to a 2003 study published in Nature, resveratrol helps to improve the lifespan of yeast cells by up to 70% (13). A 2006 study published in Current Biology has found that it can improve the lifespan of fish by 50% (14). While we don’t understand its full effects on human lifespan, we have lots of evidence showing the benefits of antioxidants on lifespan (15).

Resveratrol, Heart Health and Blood Pressure

The benefits of resveratrol can include improved heart health. According to a 2016 review published in Nutrients, resveratrol helps to reduce the risk of high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, stroke, myocardial infarction, and heart failure (16). Decreasing the risk of hypertension is possibly the biggest heart health benefit of resveratrol (17). It also helps to increase nitric oxide levels, to help relax your blood vessels and reduce blood pressure (18, 19).

Resveratrol and Cholesterol

It can improve cholesterol levels as well (20, 21). According to a 2016 animal study published in Life Science, resveratrol reduced total cholesterol and improve good HDL cholesterol levels (22). Other studies have shown that resveratrol may help to reduce bad LDL cholesterol and artery plaque buildup (23, 24). A 2012 study published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research has found that using resveratrol grape extract helped to lower LDL cholesterol by 4.5% and oxidized LDL cholesterol by 20% within 6 months of use (25).

Resveratrol and Insulin Resistance

Various research studies have shown that resveratrol improves insulin sensitivity, reduces insulin resistance, and lowers the risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (26, 27, 28, 29). According to a 2022 review published in Antioxidants (Basel), resveratrol may help the treatment of diabetes and reduce the risk of related cardiovascular issues (30). It may also help to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in diabetes. It can  activate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which can help to lower blood sugar levels (31).

Resveratrol and Joint Pain

It may also be beneficial if you are dealing with joint pain or arthritis. According to a 2017 review published in Nutrients, resveratrol may be beneficial for the treatment of arthritis and joint disorders (32). Various studies have shown that it may protect your cartilage from breakdown and, as a result, lower joint pain (33, 34, 35). It can also reduce inflammation, lower the risk of joint damage, and decrease pain (36, 37). 

Resveratrol and Cancer

Finally, resveratrol may also play a role in the prevention and treatment of cancer. We don’t know enough about this, and most studies have been done in test tubes (38, 39, 40). Some test tube and animal studies have shown some potential benefits for fighting skin, breast, prostate, colon, and gastric cancer (41, 42, 43, 44, 45). According to a 2016 review published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, resveratrol may help to reduce cancer cell growth, replication, and spread (46). It can also affect gene expression in cancer cells and reduce the expression of hormone-dependent cancer (47, 48). That said, we still need more understanding on the potential benefits of this in human cancer therapy.

Risks and Dosage

You may experience the benefits of resveratrol by eating grapes, blueberries, raspberries, or mulberries or drinking a glass of grape juice. However, to truly experience the full benefits of resveratrol daily, consider supplementation.

Most supplements contain between 20 to 100 mg, which is the general dosage of resveratrol studied for degenerative diseases. In comparison, an ounce of red wine only contains about 90 micrograms of resveratrol which is much less than the recommended dosage. Most healthy adults can benefit from as low as 20 mg of resveratrol a day. If you are dealing with a serious illness, you may want to up your dosage to 100 mg or more with the help of your doctor. 

It is generally safe for most people. In very high doses, it can interfere with normal blood clotting, so it might not be a good option if you are on blood clotting medication and certain pain medications. It can interfere with some immunosuppressants, anxiety medication, and blood pressure medications as well (29, 50, 51, 52). I recommend working with a functional medicine practitioner like me, to see if it is right for you and to figure out the right dosage of resveratrol for you.

Next Steps

If you are looking for antioxidant benefits, want to reduce inflammation, or dealing with chronic health issues, you may benefit from it. 

If you are dealing with any chronic health issues and need advice on how to improve your nutrition and health, I welcome you to start a functional medicine consultation with me for further personalized guidance. You may book your consultation here. 

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