Is pterostilbene better than resveratrol?

Pterostilbene is absorbed more efficiently by the body than resveratrol. This is because pterostilbene has a slightly different chemical structure: it is more fat-soluble, which allows it to cross the intestinal wall more easily and remain more stable in the bloodstream. Multiple reviews regard this as a fundamental advantage.

In laboratory and animal research, that advantage shows up in measurable terms. In colorectal cancer cells, pterostilbene was two to five times more potent than resveratrol. In mouse studies on colorectal tumours, pterostilbene also performed better. And because pterostilbene crosses the blood-brain barrier more easily, it also provided better protection against age-related brain damage in animal models. These are, however, all laboratory and mouse findings, not clinical results in humans.

On some points, resveratrol actually comes out ahead. In activating a specific signalling system that regulates blood vessel formation, resveratrol scored higher than pterostilbene in laboratory research. In countering harmful oxygen molecules in white blood cells, resveratrol had a broader range of action. What counts as 'better' therefore depends on which biological process you are looking at.

For the brain, the situation with resveratrol is disappointingly clear: clinical studies in people with memory complaints or early Alzheimer's show no protective or therapeutic effect. Clinical trials of pterostilbene in humans do not yet exist, so whether its superior absorption also translates into a measurable real-world benefit remains unknown.

On safety: a small pilot study in 30 healthy men found no side effects at 10 or 100 mg of pterostilbene per day over 12 weeks. That is an initial reassuring sign, but the study was too small and too short to draw conclusions about the effects of long-term use.