| Herbs & Supplements:

Resveratrol

Supplement Forms/Alternate Names
  • Grape Skin

 

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Introduction

Resveratrol is a compound found in grapes, peanuts, and wine. It has been used as an antioxidant to help slow damage to cells. Resveratrol has also been used to improve heart and blood health. It can be taken as a pill or powder. It can also be taken as a nasal spray.

Dosages

500 milligrams once daily

 

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What Research Shows

Likely Effective

• Diabetes—likely to improve blood pressure and blood fat levels when used with standard treatment ^{C1, C2} 
• High blood pressure—likely to lower systolic blood pressure ^D1 
• Non-communicable diseases—likely to lower risk factors ^G1 

May Be Effective

• Allergic rhinitis—may ease nasal symptoms ^{A1, A2} 
• Obesity—may lower body weight, BMI, and waist circumference ^{H1, H2}  

Unlikely to Be Effective

• Cognitive and memory performance and mood—unlikely to have an effect ^B1 
• High Cholesterol—unlikely to change cholesterol levels, but may impact triglyceride levels ^{E1, E2} 
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease—unlikely to improve liver function ^{F1, F2} 

Editorial process and description of evidence categories can be found at EBSCO NAT Editorial Process.

 

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Safety Notes

It is likely safe to take resveratrol in small doses for a short time. Not enough studies have been done to say whether it is safe to take for a long period. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not use wine as a source of resveratrol.

Interactions

Talk to your doctor about any supplements or therapy you would like to use. Some can interfere with treatment or make conditions worse.

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References [ + ]

A. Allergic Rhinitis

A1. Miraglia Del Giudice M, Maiello N, et al. Resveratrol plus carboxymethyl-β-glucan reduces nasal symptoms in children with pollen-induced allergic rhinitis. Curr Med Res Opin. 2014 Oct;30(10):1931-1935.

A2. Lv C, Zhang Y, et al. Preliminary Clinical Effect Evaluation of Resveratrol in Adults with Allergic Rhinitis. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2018;175(4):231-236.

B. Cognitive and Memory Performance and Mood

B1. Farzaei MH, Rahimi R, et al. Effect of resveratrol on cognitive and memory performance and mood: A meta-analysis of 225 patients. Pharmacol Res. 2018 Feb;128:338-344.

C. Diabetes

C1. Liu K, Zhou R, et al. Effect of resveratrol on glucose control and insulin sensitivity: a meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;99(6):1510-1519.

C2. Hausenblas HA, Schoulda JA, et al. Resveratrol treatment as an adjunct to pharmacological management in type 2 diabetes mellitus—systematic review and meta-analysis. Mol Nutr Food Red. 2015;59(1):147-159.

D. High Blood Pressure

D1. Liu Y, Ma W, et al. Effect of resveratrol on blood pressure: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Clin Nutr. 2015;34(1):27-34.

E. High Cholesterol

E1. Sahebkar A. Effects of resveratrol supplementation on plasma lipids: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Rev. 2013 Dec;71(12):822-835.

E2. Haghighatdoost F, Hariri M. Effect of resveratrol on lipid profile: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis on randomized clinical trials. Pharmacol Res. 2018;129:141-150.

F. Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

F1. Zhang C, Yuan W, et al. Efficacy of Resveratrol Supplementation against Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials. PLoS One. 2016;11(8):e0161792.

F2. Elgebaly A, Radwan IA, et al. Resveratrol Supplementation in Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Gastrointestin Liver Dis. 2017;26(1):59-67.

G. Non-Communicable Diseases

G1. Guo XF, Li JM, et al. Effects of resveratrol supplementation on risk factors of non-communicable diseases: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2018;58(17):3016-3029.

H. Obesity

H1. Christenson J, Whitby SJ, et al. The Effects of Resveratrol Supplementation in Overweight and Obese Humans: A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials. Metab Syndr Relat Disord. 2016 Sep;14(7):323-333.

H2. Mousavi SM, Milajerdi A, et al. Resveratrol supplementation significantly influences obesity measures: a systematic review and dose-dependent meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Obes Rev. 2019;20(3):487-498.

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Last reviewed July 2019 by EBSCO NAT Review Board Eric Hurwitz, DC
Last Updated: 3/30/2020

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