Resveratrol
Meta-analyses disagree on whether resveratrol lowers glucose in diabetes, and found no change in people without it. Blood pressure did not change overall. Reviews disagree on CRP, and pooled trials found no change in sirtuin 1. In older adults, dietary resveratrol was not linked to mortality over 9 years. In older men, it blunted gains from exercise training.
Add to Bio HackChecked 2026-11-09
- Status
- Dietary supplement in the US.
- Also called
- trans-resveratrol, red wine extract, Japanese knotweed extract, Polygonum cuspidatum, SRT501, sirtuin activator
- Taken for
- slowing aging, longer life, sirtuin activation, blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, inflammation, heart health, memory, brain health
Strong several reviews agree · Moderate one review or consistent trials · Limited one or a few small studies · Untested no study in people, listed with what it rests on
Shown to help0
No benefit shown in research yet.
Reported risks2
- LimitedOne small trial found resveratrol blunted training gains in VO2 max, blood pressure and lipids in older men.How often is not known
- LimitedOne trial at up to 1,000 mg twice daily found nausea, diarrhea and weight loss, and more brain volume loss than placebo in Alzheimer disease.How often is not known
What people take it for, and what was found
Mixed results3
Blood sugar and insulin sensitivity
Mixed results: one review found lower glucose and insulin resistance in people with diabetes, while a later review found no effect. No effect without diabetes.
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- Across 11 RCTs, resveratrol reduced fasting glucose, insulin, HbA1c and HOMA insulin resistance in participants with diabetes. No significant effect on any glycemic measure was found in participants without diabetes [1]. A 2026 umbrella review pooling 10 meta-analyses in type 2 diabetes found no significant effect on fasting glucose, HbA1c, insulin or HOMA insulin resistance [2].
- Population
- 388 participants in 11 RCTs [1]. Meta-analyses of trials in type 2 diabetes [2].
- Sources
- [1], [2]
- Caveats
- The two sources disagree on people with diabetes [1][2]. The pooled effects in people without diabetes did not vary by BMI, dose, duration or trial quality [1]. Heterogeneity was significant in [2].
Inflammation and blood lipids
Mixed results: reviews disagree on whether CRP falls, and most found no change in LDL or triglycerides.
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- One meta-analysis found no change in CRP (WMD -0.144 mg/L, 95% CI -0.968 to 0.680), total cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides or glucose. HDL fell slightly (WMD -4.18 mg/dL, 95% CI -6.54 to -1.82) [4]. A later meta-analysis found lower TNF-α (WMD -0.44, 95% CI -0.71 to -0.16) and hs-CRP (WMD -0.27, 95% CI -0.5 to -0.02), with no change in IL-6 [6]. In 25 RCTs in metabolic disorders, CRP fell (SMD -0.18, 95% CI -0.33 to -0.03), and IL-6 and TNF-α did not change significantly [7]. In 6 RCTs in type 2 diabetes (533 participants), CRP fell (SMD -1.40, 95% CI -2.60 to -0.21) [8]. Apolipoprotein B (WMD 2.11 mg/dL, 95% CI -1.53 to 5.75) and apolipoprotein A-I did not change in 7 RCTs [9]. An umbrella review rated as high certainty a 0.19 mmol/L drop in total cholesterol in adults with overweight (95% CI 0.06 to 0.32) [5].
- Population
- 10 RCTs [4]; 17 RCTs with 736 adults [6]; adults with metabolic disorders [7]; adults with type 2 diabetes [8]; 7 RCTs [9]; meta-analyses of RCTs [5].
- Sources
- [4], [6], [7], [8], [9], [5]
- Caveats
- The reviews disagree on CRP, and the CRP effect in [8] is several times the size of that in [7]. Heterogeneity in [6] was about 50%. Evidence in [8] was low certainty. CRP is a marker, not a clinical outcome [7].
Memory and mood
Limited evidence: of 10 studies, 3 found some cognitive gains and 5 no effect, with small pooled gains in recognition and mood.
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- Of 10 studies, 3 found improvement in some cognitive measures, 2 mixed findings and 5 no effect. Pooled data showed better delayed recognition (SMD 0.39, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.70) and lower negative mood (SMD -0.18, 95% CI -0.31 to -0.05) [10].
- Population
- 10 RCTs. The pooled analyses each had 3 studies and about 165 participants [10].
- Sources
- [10]
- Caveats
- The authors call the literature inconsistent and limited [10].
Not shown to help2
Blood pressure
Not shown to lower blood pressure overall, with drops seen at 300 mg a day or more and in people with type 2 diabetes.
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- Across 17 trials, resveratrol did not significantly change systolic pressure (WMD -2.5 mmHg, 95% CI -5.5 to 0.6), diastolic pressure (WMD -0.5 mmHg, 95% CI -2.2 to 1.3) or mean pressure. Significant effects appeared in subsets with 300 mg a day or more and with diabetes [3]. A second meta-analysis found no change in systolic (WMD 0.82 mmHg, 95% CI -8.86 to 10.50) or diastolic pressure [4]. An umbrella review of 45 systematic reviews rated as high certainty a drop in people with type 2 diabetes of 7.97 mmHg systolic (95% CI 5.31 to 10.63) and 3.55 mmHg diastolic (95% CI 1.93 to 5.18) [5].
- Population
- 17 RCTs [3]; 10 RCTs with 11 arms [4]; meta-analyses of RCTs [5].
- Sources
- [3], [4], [5]
- Caveats
- Heterogeneity was moderate, with I² of 62% for systolic pressure [3]. The subgroup findings come from smaller sets of trials.
Longer life
Limited evidence: in older Italian adults, dietary resveratrol levels were not linked to death over 9 years.
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- Over 9 years, 268 of 783 older adults died. Deaths by quartile of urinary resveratrol metabolites, lowest to highest, were 34.4%, 31.6%, 33.5% and 37.4%. The lowest quartile had a hazard ratio of 0.80 (95% CI 0.54 to 1.17) against the highest. Resveratrol levels were not associated with inflammatory markers, heart disease or cancer [11].
- Population
- 783 community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older in the Chianti region of Italy [11].
- Sources
- [11]
- Caveats
- An observational cohort of resveratrol from diet, not supplements. Doses from diet are far smaller than supplement doses.
Doses studied
The 11 glucose trials varied in dose, and dose did not change the pooled effect in people without diabetes [1]. The blood pressure meta-analysis split trials at 300 mg a day [3]. The exercise trial used 250 mg a day of trans-resveratrol for 8 weeks [12]. The Alzheimer disease trial started at 500 mg once daily and rose in 500 mg steps every 13 weeks to 1,000 mg twice daily [13].
Risks
Reported risks2
Blunted gains from exercise training
One small trial found resveratrol blunted training gains in VO2 max, blood pressure and lipids in older men.
The numbers and sources
- How common
- How often is not known: the sources give no rate.
- Effect
- During 8 weeks of high-intensity training, VO2 max rose 45% more on placebo than on resveratrol. Mean arterial pressure fell by 4.8 mmHg on placebo only. Resveratrol also cancelled the training-related improvements in LDL cholesterol, total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio and triglycerides [12].
- Population
- 27 healthy, inactive men, mean age 65, at 250 mg a day [12].
- Sources
- [12]
- Caveats
- One small trial in older men.
Adverse effects at high doses
One trial at up to 1,000 mg twice daily found nausea, diarrhea and weight loss, and more brain volume loss than placebo in Alzheimer disease.
The numbers and sources
- How common
- How often is not known: the sources give no rate.
- Effect
- At up to 1,000 mg twice daily for 52 weeks, the most common adverse events were nausea, diarrhea and weight loss. Brain volume loss was greater on resveratrol than placebo [13]. Most trials in a blood pressure meta-analysis reported no serious adverse events [3].
- Population
- 119 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease [13]; 17 RCTs [3].
- Sources
- [13], [3]
- Caveats
- The trial authors wrote that further studies are needed to interpret the biomarker changes [13]. One trial in a disease population.
Possible, not studied in people1
Long-term use
Not studied in people. Rats given up to 700 mg/kg a day for 90 days had no adverse effects, and one lab test found chromosome damage in human cells.
No study in people. This rests on animal studies, lab studies.
The numbers and sources
- How common
- How often is not known: the sources give no rate.
- Effect
- High-purity trans-resveratrol caused no adverse effects in rats at up to 500 mg/kg a day for 28 days or 700 mg/kg a day for 90 days, and no reproductive effects in an embryo-fetal study at 750 mg/kg a day. It was not mutagenic in bacteria and not genotoxic in a rat bone marrow test, but it caused chromosome aberrations in human lymphocytes in the lab [15]. The longest human trial on this page ran 52 weeks [13].
- Population
- Rats, bacteria and human lymphocytes in culture [15].
- Sources
- [15], [13]
- Caveats
- Studies of 90 days or less in rats, of one product. They do not show what years of use do in people.
Claims tested and not found
- That resveratrol lowers blood pressure. Across 17 trials, systolic and diastolic pressure did not change significantly overall [3].
- That resveratrol improves blood sugar in people without diabetes. Across 11 RCTs, no glycemic measure changed in participants without diabetes [1].
- That resveratrol adds to the benefits of exercise. In older men, it reduced the training gain in VO2 max and blocked the drop in blood pressure [12].
- That higher resveratrol intake is linked to longer life. Urinary resveratrol did not predict 9-year mortality in older adults [11].
- That resveratrol activates sirtuin 1 in people. In 11 RCTs, resveratrol did not significantly change SIRT1 gene expression (SMD 0.05, 95% CI -0.24 to 0.34), protein expression (SMD 0.3, 95% CI -0.15 to 0.77) or serum levels [14].
Sources
- Liu K, Zhou R, Wang B, et al. Effect of resveratrol on glucose control and insulin sensitivity: a meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2014. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.113.082024
- Ghalichi F, Molani-Gol R, Tejareh F, et al. The effects of resveratrol on glycemic indices and lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes: an umbrella review and meta-analysis. DARU Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40199-026-00609-x
- Fogacci F, Tocci G, Presta V, et al. Effect of resveratrol on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, controlled, clinical trials. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2017.1422480
- Sahebkar A, Serban C, Ursoniu S, et al. Lack of efficacy of resveratrol on C-reactive protein and selected cardiovascular risk factors. Results from a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. International Journal of Cardiology. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2015.04.008
- Sun JN, Yang R, Fang L, et al. Effects of resveratrol supplementation on multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Nutrition Journal. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-026-01319-5
- Koushki M, Dashatan NA, Meshkani R. Effect of Resveratrol Supplementation on Inflammatory Markers: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Clinical Therapeutics. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinthera.2018.05.015
- Rahmati S, Imani D, Alizadeh Z, et al. Effects of resveratrol supplementation on inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers in metabolic disorders: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Inflammopharmacology. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10787-026-02424-x
- Zhu P, Jin Y, Sun J, et al. The efficacy of resveratrol supplementation on inflammation and oxidative stress in type-2 diabetes mellitus patients: randomized double-blind placebo meta-analysis. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 2025. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2024.1463027
- Simental-Mendía LE, Arce-Quiñones M, Sahebkar A. No beneficial effect of resveratrol supplementation on plasma apolipoprotein B and apolipoprotein A-I levels: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2026.104866
- Marx W, Kelly JT, Marshall S, et al. Effect of resveratrol supplementation on cognitive performance and mood in adults: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrition Reviews. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuy010
- Semba RD, Ferrucci L, Bartali B, et al. Resveratrol levels and all-cause mortality in older community-dwelling adults. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2014. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.1582
- Gliemann L, Schmidt JF, Olesen J, et al. Resveratrol blunts the positive effects of exercise training on cardiovascular health in aged men. The Journal of Physiology. 2013. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2013.258061
- Turner RS, Thomas RG, Craft S, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of resveratrol for Alzheimer disease. Neurology. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000002035
- Mansouri F, Feliziani G, Bordoni L, et al. Impact of Resveratrol Supplementation on Human Sirtuin 1: A Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation-Assessed Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2025.03.011
- Williams LD, Burdock GA, Edwards JA, et al. Safety studies conducted on high-purity trans-resveratrol in experimental animals. Food and Chemical Toxicology. 2009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2009.06.002