Resveratrol is a chemical in foods such as red grapes and wine. It helps maintain cardiovascular health, and acts as a powerful antioxidant. Unfortunately, food sources of resveratrol contain very low levels. Taking concentrated resveratrol supplements appears to be a safe way to get much high doses than would be possible with food.
Resveratrol Benefits
In France and other parts of Europe, people have longer lifespans and lower risk of cardiovascular disease. In what is known as the French Paradox, frequent consumption of resveratrol in red wine is though to improve health of the French. Resveratrol, according to the Linus Pauling Institute, can be a powerful antioxidant, although a 2004 study in the journal "Cardiovascular Drug Research" found that levels found in your blood are not high enough to protect against damage to your body. According to other studies cited by the Linus Pauling Institute, resveratrol can normalize the effects of estrogen, an important hormone in both men and women that can contribute to cancer and osteoporosis. Resveratrol can reduce the aggregation of platelets in artery plaque, and reduce inflammation in your body that can contribute to disease.
Resveratrol in Foods
Resveratrol is in grapes, peanuts and some berries, including blueberries, bilberries and cranberries. Juice and wine made from the foods also include some resveratrol, especially darker varieties produced using the skin. Most food contains 1 mg or less of resveratrol per serving, with white and rosé wines containing less than 0.25 mg per serving.
Supplements
You would have to eat at least 17 pounds of grapes to get the same 50 mg of resveratrol in supplements. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, few well-controlled clinical trials have been performed to investigate benefits of resveratrol. Much of the research into benefits of resveratrol have studied it in cultured cells exposed to 10 to 100 times the amount in foods. Though there are many potential benefits from resveratrol based on these studies, these benefits may not be achievable from dietary amounts. Doses of up to 5,000 mg of resveratrol per day appear to be safe in the short term, but long-term effects in humans are not known.
Bioavailability
In foods, resveratrol is bound to a sugar molecule. Your body is not able to absorb resveratrol as well when this sugar molecule is attached. Fermentation, such as in wine, can release resveratrol from the sugar molecule. Bacteria in your intestines converts resveratrol into slightly different molecules called metabolites. Resveratrol metabolites have different biological properties, and may have different effects in different people.
Efficacy
Resveratrol is not a substitute for medical care or medication prescribed by your doctor. Although clinical studies have shown promise for resveratrol in improving cardiovascular and overall health, the studies have not been conclusive, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Bacteria and enzymes in your intestines may metabolize resveratrol differently, increasing or decreasing its effects.
Safety
No known side effects of resveratrol have been shown in humans, although few clinical studies have been performed. If consuming red wine for the resveratrol, drink in moderation.
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