Does taking resveratrol make sense as an anti-ageing strategy?

Resveratrol is a substance that occurs naturally in, among other things, grape skins and red wine. In laboratory research with yeast, worms and other simple organisms, resveratrol extends lifespan by an average of 30 to 60 percent relative to the maximum in those models. That sounds impressive, but these are small creatures with a biology entirely different from that of humans, and the translation to humans has not yet been demonstrated.

The mechanism is thought to involve so-called sirtuins and autophagy, biological clean-up and repair processes in cells that also play a role in human ageing. Resveratrol activates these pathways repeatedly and reliably in animal models. It is also being investigated as a 'caloric restriction mimetic': a substance that would replicate the beneficial effects of eating less without actually having to eat less. Whether this truly works this way in humans, however, remains unknown.

In mice, resveratrol shows beneficial effects on heart function, cholesterol and inflammatory markers. But here you run into a crucial distinction: positive biomarkers are not the same as living longer. Mice that received resveratrol did not actually live longer despite those improved values. This is a major caveat to all the enthusiastic reports about this compound.

In humans, the evidence is limited and largely based on animal studies and mechanistic laboratory data. A potentially protective effect has been described for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and neurological conditions, but firm conclusions cannot yet be drawn on the basis of the available human studies.

No specific data on the safety of long-term resveratrol supplement use in humans are available in the sources consulted. No side effects or risks of chronic use are discussed. That does not mean it is safe, but simply that there are insufficient data to say anything about it. Caution is warranted.