Resveratrol

trans-Resveratrol · 3,5,4'-Trihydroxystilbene · Polygonum cuspidatum

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Insulin resistance¹ Type 2 diabetes² Blood pressure¹ Inflammatory markers¹ Postmenopausal pain³ Postmenopausal bone turnover³ Alzheimer's disease^{4, 5} Periodontitis adjunct^{6, 7}	Hormone-sensitive cancers⁸ Antiplatelet or warfarin use⁸ Pregnancy or nursing⁹

Resveratrol is a plant compound found in grape skins, red wine, peanuts, and berries⁸. It acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, with sirtuin activation proposed⁸. Supplementation follows from that effect, with uses in insulin resistance and some obesity-related risk factors, and in type 2 diabetes^{1, 2}. It is also taken for cognition in Alzheimer's disease and as a periodontal adjunct, where trials are few.

Evidence is mixed: meta-analyses report modest gains in insulin resistance, lipids, blood pressure, and inflammatory markers in obesity-related disease, yet a Cochrane review found insufficient evidence in diabetes⁸. In postmenopausal women with insulin resistance, a 2024 pilot randomized trial found resveratrol with vitamin C lowered oxidative stress markers¹⁰. More than four thousand products listing resveratrol span capsules, softgels, liquids, and lozenges; see Form comparison.

Per Memorial Sloan Kettering, estrogen-like receptor activity is the reason for caution in hormone-sensitive cancers⁸. Per the same monograph, use with antiplatelets or medications cleared by cytochrome P450 enzymes is discussed with the treating physician⁸.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

74 sources, 61 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources