Resveratrol Benefits: What It Does and What Human Trials Show

Resveratrol is a plant polyphenol found in grapes, red wine, peanuts and some berries, and its best measured benefits in people are for memory, thinking and brain blood flow in older adults, plus muscle strength in older adults who exercise. In one trial, 129 postmenopausal women taking 75 mg twice a day for 12 months improved their overall cognitive performance compared with placebo. In another, healthy older adults taking 200 mg a day for 26 weeks remembered more words after a delay.

Key Takeaways

• Resveratrol is a stilbene that plants make in response to stress, injury, fungal infection or UV light; most supplements use extracts of Japanese knotweed root (Linus Pauling Institute).
• In 46 healthy, overweight adults aged 50 to 75, 200 mg a day for 26 weeks improved word retention after a 30-minute delay (Witte et al., 2014).
• In postmenopausal women, 150 mg a day improved overall cognitive performance over 14 weeks and again over 12 months, alongside better brain blood flow (Evans et al., 2017; Thaung Zaw et al., 2020).
• In older men and women aged 65 to 80 who trained for 12 weeks, 500 mg a day went with gains in knee strength and power that the placebo group did not show (Alway et al., 2017).
• Resveratrol is well absorbed but quickly converted, so most of what circulates is its metabolites (Walle et al., 2004).

What Is Resveratrol?

Resveratrol belongs to a family of polyphenols called stilbenes. Plants such as grapes make it when they are under stress, injured, exposed to UV light or attacked by fungi (Linus Pauling Institute).

Food gives you only small amounts. A typical 5-ounce glass of red wine holds about 0.3 mg, and a cup of red grapes 0.24 to 1.25 mg, while the human trials below used 150 to 500 mg a day. Most US supplements use an extract of Japanese knotweed root, a plant also called Polygonum cuspidatum. See our resveratrol ingredient page. Labels often say trans resveratrol; our guide to trans resveratrol vs resveratrol explains the difference and how to read a label.

What Does Resveratrol Do in the Body?

Resveratrol became famous through sirtuins, a family of enzymes linked to how cells respond to calorie restriction. In yeast, resveratrol raised the activity of the sirtuin Sir2 and extended replicative lifespan by 70 percent. In the test tube it also raised the activity of the human sirtuin SIRT1, though at concentrations higher than those measured in human blood (Linus Pauling Institute). Sirtuins run on NAD+, which is why resveratrol and NAD+ are so often discussed together; our guide to NAD+ and sirtuins explains the link.

In a study of six volunteers given 25 mg by mouth, at least 70 percent was absorbed, yet only trace amounts stayed unchanged in the blood, because the gut and liver quickly attach sulfate and glucuronic acid to it. Resveratrol and its metabolites had a plasma half-life of about 9 hours (Walle et al., 2004). That fast conversion is one reason researchers look at pterostilbene, a close relative; see pterostilbene vs resveratrol.

Resveratrol Benefits: What Human Trials Measured

These randomized, placebo-controlled trials in healthy adults give the clearest picture:

Trial	Who and how much	What changed
Witte et al., 2014	46 overweight adults aged 50 to 75; 200 mg a day for 26 weeks	Better word retention; stronger connections in the hippocampus, a memory hub
Evans et al., 2017	80 postmenopausal women aged 45 to 85; 75 mg twice a day for 14 weeks	Better overall cognitive performance and verbal memory; brain blood vessels responded better
Thaung Zaw et al., 2020	129 postmenopausal women; 75 mg twice a day for 12 months	Better overall cognitive performance, processing speed and cognitive flexibility; better brain blood flow
Alway et al., 2017	30 adults aged 65 to 80 in a training program; 500 mg a day for 12 weeks	Knee strength up 8.5 percent and power up 14 percent, with no change on placebo
Wightman et al., 2015	60 adults aged 18 to 30; 500 mg with piperine for 28 days	Lower ratings of fatigue; no change in sleep quality

Memory in older adults

In the Witte trial, 23 people took resveratrol and 23 took a placebo. After 26 weeks, the resveratrol group held on to more words over a 30-minute delay and showed stronger functional connections in the hippocampus. The capsules held 200 mg of resveratrol from Japanese knotweed plus 320 mg of quercetin, added to help absorption (Witte et al., 2014). Our guide to resveratrol and quercetin looks at how the two compare and what taking them together involves.

Thinking and brain blood flow

Over 14 weeks, 150 mg a day improved overall cognitive performance and helped brain blood vessels respond to mental tasks (Evans et al., 2017). Over 12 months, the same dose improved overall cognitive performance again, with the biggest gains in women who started with lower scores. The effect was modest, and the authors linked it partly to better blood flow in the brain (Thaung Zaw et al., 2020).

Muscle in older adults who exercise

When 30 adults aged 65 to 80 combined strength and aerobic training with 500 mg of resveratrol a day, knee extensor strength rose 8.5 percent and power 14 percent over 12 weeks, while the placebo group showed no change in either. The authors also reported better resistance to muscle fatigue with resveratrol (Alway et al., 2017). It was a small trial, and the gains came on top of exercise.

Benefits of Resveratrol for Women and Men

The longest human trials were done in women. The 14-week and 12-month trials above enrolled only postmenopausal women, with an average age of 64 in the longer one, and both found better thinking scores and brain blood flow at 150 mg a day (Thaung Zaw et al., 2020). In the fatigue study, 51 of the 60 young adults were women (Wightman et al., 2015).

Men took part in the memory and muscle trials. The memory trial had 18 women among its 46 participants, so most were men, and the muscle trial enrolled 12 men and 18 women aged 65 to 80 (Witte et al., 2014; Alway et al., 2017). For both, the measured benefits are about the brain and muscles in midlife and later.

Does Resveratrol Give You Energy?

Resveratrol is not a stimulant, so it will not give you a jolt the way caffeine does. In 60 healthy young adults, 500 mg a day (with 10 mg of piperine) for 28 days lowered ratings of fatigue at days 7, 21 and 28 compared with placebo, and sleep quality scores did not change (Wightman et al., 2015). For cellular energy, it is often paired with NMN, which feeds NAD+; see NMN supplement benefits.

Resveratrol Side Effects and Safety

Most people tolerate resveratrol well. In the 12-month trial of 150 mg a day, all four serious events happened in the placebo group, and the few minor events in the resveratrol group were not clearly linked to it (Thaung Zaw et al., 2020). Side effects show up mainly at much higher amounts: people taking more than 1,000 mg a day for up to 29 days reported mild to moderate stomach effects such as nausea, abdominal pain, gas and diarrhea (Linus Pauling Institute).

Check with your clinician first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, because safety in pregnancy has not been established, if you have a hormone-sensitive condition, or if you take prescription medicine.

Taking Resveratrol With NMN and Pterostilbene

Resveratrol is rarely taken alone in longevity routines. It is most often paired with NMN, because sirtuins depend on NAD+ and NMN is a direct building block of NAD+; our guide to NMN and resveratrol covers how the two fit together. Pterostilbene, a close cousin of resveratrol, is often added because of its chemistry; see pterostilbene vs resveratrol. For a wider view, see our roundup of anti-aging supplements backed by human research and our cellular energy hub.

Resveratrol may suit you if you are in midlife or later and care about memory, thinking or staying strong. For antioxidant support, our guide to NAC benefits covers a different route, and our NAC Nasal Spray gives 50 mg of N-acetylcysteine per 2 sprays.

Where Our Enhanced NMN Fits

Our Enhanced NMN puts resveratrol and NMN in one daily serving. Every 2 capsules give you 750 mg of NMN, 200 mg of resveratrol, 100 mg of pterostilbene, 200 mg of trimethylglycine (TMG) and 750 mcg of vitamin B12 as methylcobalamin, with ginger extract and vegan capsules, made with third-party tested ingredients. Take 2 capsules in the morning, with or without food.

Benefits build with consistent daily use. Months 1 to 2 can bring early changes, and 3 months and beyond is where the full benefit builds, which fits the 14-week to 12-month length of the trials above.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does resveratrol do?

It raises sirtuin activity in lab studies, and in human trials it supported memory, thinking and brain blood flow in older adults and muscle strength in older adults who exercised.

What are the benefits of resveratrol supplements?

Trials have measured better word retention at 200 mg a day for 26 weeks, better overall cognitive performance at 150 mg a day for 14 weeks and 12 months, and gains in strength and power at 500 mg a day with training.

What are the benefits of resveratrol for women?

The longest trials were in postmenopausal women: 75 mg twice a day improved overall cognitive performance and brain blood flow over 14 weeks and again over 12 months.

What are the benefits of resveratrol for men?

Men made up most of the 26-week memory trial and 12 of the 30 people in the 12-week muscle trial.

Does resveratrol give you energy?

It is not a stimulant. In young adults, 500 mg a day for 28 days lowered ratings of fatigue without changing sleep quality.

What are the side effects of resveratrol?

Most people tolerate it well. Above 1,000 mg a day, some people get stomach effects such as nausea, gas or diarrhea, and pregnant or breastfeeding women should check with a clinician first.

How much resveratrol do studies use?

The trials on this page used 150 to 500 mg a day, taken once a day or split into two doses.

Can I get resveratrol benefits from red wine?

Not at study amounts. A 5-ounce glass of red wine holds about 0.3 mg, far below the 150 to 500 mg a day used in trials.

Sources

• Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center. Resveratrol. Oregon State University. https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/resveratrol
• Witte AV, Kerti L, Margulies DS, Floel A. Effects of resveratrol on memory performance, hippocampal functional connectivity, and glucose metabolism in healthy older adults. Journal of Neuroscience, 2014. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24899709/
• Evans HM, Howe PRC, Wong RHX. Effects of resveratrol on cognitive performance, mood and cerebrovascular function in post-menopausal women; a 14-week randomised placebo-controlled intervention trial. Nutrients, 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28054939/
• Thaung Zaw JJ, Howe PRC, Wong RHX. Sustained cerebrovascular and cognitive benefits of resveratrol in postmenopausal women. Nutrients, 2020. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/3/828
• Alway SE, et al. Resveratrol enhances exercise-induced cellular and functional adaptations of skeletal muscle in older men and women. Journals of Gerontology Series A, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glx089
• Wightman EL, et al. The effects of chronic trans-resveratrol supplementation on aspects of cognitive function, mood, sleep, health and cerebral blood flow in healthy, young humans. British Journal of Nutrition, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114515003037
• Walle T, et al. High absorption but very low bioavailability of oral resveratrol in humans. Drug Metabolism and Disposition, 2004. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15333514/

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This content is for education and is not medical advice. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Talk with a healthcare provider before starting a new supplement if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication.