Resveratrol Supplement Recommendations

How Much to Take

Suggested Doses and Supplement Recommendations

No Resveratrol studies on humans have yet been reported. If you are ill, suspect you have a disease or are under a doctor's care, do not take Resveratrol before consulting a qualified physician.

At the risk of repeating myself, no Resveratrol studies on humans have yet been reported. However, the mouse and monkey studies are extremely encouraging.

One researcher described Resveratrol as the plant's immune system, staving off all manner of attack. Resveratrol appears to be a multi-faceted and powerful compound that works along several pathways to protect mammals just as it protects the plants which naturally produce it.

The human-equivalent doses I have noted throughout this article, use the FDA's recommended interspecies calculation. The calculation is used by researchers (as they move from one animal model to another), as well as by veterinarians and pharmacists (to prescribe and dispense drugs).

In summary, the research studies would suggest the following therapeutic oral dosages for a 180-pound human:

• For a longer and stronger life - 1000 mg/day (Barger J.L. et al., PubMedCentral, June 2008);
• For heart health - no in vivo studies have yet been reported though in vitro results are promising;
• For protection against cancer - 220 to 440 mg/day (Li Z.G. et al., Carcinogenesis, September 2002);
• For brain health - a "clinically feasible oral dose" (Karuppagounder S.S. et al., Neurochemistry International, February 2009);
• For management of blood sugar levels in diabetics - 550 mg/day (Sun et al., Cell Metabolism, October 2007);
• For management of diabetic neuropathy - between 1000 and 4400 mg/day (Sharma S. et al., Fundamental and Clinical Pharmacology, February 2007).

If you decide to give Resveratrol supplements a try, consult with a healthcare professional and make sure you buy from a reputable source.

You can find many sites selling Resveratrol supplements online and you can find almost as many complaints about these sites in consumer advocacy forums. Please read Resveratrol: Antiaging Hope? Or Hype in a Bottle? for more information.

Read the fine print for any auto-ship terms if you don't want the company to continue sending you product and automatically charging your credit card.

Dr. Christoph Westphal, who was interviewed about Resveratrol by Morley Safer on 60 Minutes, is the co-founder and current CEO of Sirtris Pharmeceuticals. Sirtris' proprietary formulation of Resveratrol is completing a Phase IIa clinical study in patients with Type 2 Diabetes and is in a Phase IIa study in cancer patients.

Sitris is clearly moving toward releasing sirtuin-stimulating drugs, not OTC supplements.

While not required in all cases, there are typically at least two successful Phase III trials, demonstrating a drug's safety and efficacy, needed to obtain approval from the appropriate regulatory agencies such as FDA.

As for Resveratrol supplements you can buy OTC, the best in terms of ingredients and lack of auto-ship plans seem to be Integrative Therapeutics Resveratrol Ultra or Life Extension Optimized Resveratrol.

The Life Extension product also includes the antioxidant quercetin which has been shown to be heart-protective.

No Resveratrol studies on humans have yet been reported. If you are ill, suspect you have a disease or are under a doctor's care, do not take Resveratrol before consulting a qualified physician.

More Resveratrol Articles

Resveratrol - Hope of Hype?
What is Resveratrol?
Resveratrol Research Results
Resveratrol and Disease
Good News-Bad News on Resveratrol

This article is for information only. It does not purport to offer medical advice.