Best resveratrol supplements for a wellbeing boost, and the benefits explained (2024)

The last decade has seen the term “longevity boost” brought in from the fringes to become a common reference in the overlapping spheres of health, beauty, fitness and wellness.

Whether applied to cells in the skin, the offset of age-related diseases or a longer lifespan, better longevity is increasingly an important focus for those of us who want to keep feeling and looking at our optimum into our later years. Improving it via what we do – and don’t – put in our bodies plays a key role, including supplementing a healthy, rounded diet with particular nutrients that have been well-researched for their benefits in boosting longevity.

Top of that list is resveratrol, an antioxidant found in grapes, red wine and the fast-growing scourge of gardeners, Japanese knotweed. Shown to have wide-ranging therapeutic benefits, resveratrol is now popping up in supplements solely based around this ingredient as well as others that include it as part of a balanced blend.

“Resveratrol is a plant compound which acts like an antioxidant in the body,” explains Shabir Daya MRPharmS, co-founder and in-house pharmacist at Victoria Health. “It is found naturally in deep purplish fruits such as grapes used to make red wine, which is why red wine is often touted as being healthy in moderation, while commercially, resveratrol is mostly obtained from Japanese knotweed.”

Why from a weed and not from grapes or red wine in supplements? Because the amount you need to consume to be beneficial would be huge (and in the case of alcohol, not healthy!). The suggested daily dosage to get a beneficial effect is between 150mg and 500mg, ideally taken with a meal containing some fats as resveratrol is a fat-soluble nutrient.

Research into resveratrol has revealed that its antioxidant benefits help defend cells, from the skin to our internal organs, from daily oxidative damage as well as working in myriad different ways. “Resveratrol is often referred to as an anti-ageing nutrient because it possibly has a wide range of protective actions against a diverse range of health concerns,” he says. “Aside from its antioxidant properties, studies have been conducted linking resveratrol to maintaining healthy blood pressure, regulating sugar and fat levels in the bloodstream and displaying anti-inflammatory properties. It may also protect brain cells, as well as ease joint and muscular pain. Some people report that taking resveratrol helps exercise performance and recovery.”

Resveratrol has also been studied for its ability to activate the group of proteins known as sirtuins that help regulate cellular health and energy production, whilst also having a positive effect on the gene expression that causes us to age, so may help slow down some aspects of the natural ageing process. While Daya underlines that - as with most supplements - those new to taking resveratrol likely won’t see any immediate changes, benefits such as reducing inflammation will take effect over time.

Antioxidants are well-loved by scientists for their ability to defend against external aggressors such as pollution and UV rays that play havoc with our skin, contributing to pigmentation, and sensitivity and breaking down the elastic and collagen fibres that keep the complexion firm and bouncy. “Pairing resveratrol with a quality vitamin C supplement provides you with two powerful antioxidants with protective benefits,” recommends Daya. “This combination may help to protect skin and the soft tissues from the loss of elasticity: think the loss of elasticity for skin but also from a health point of view, when blood vessels and the valves inside the blood vessels lose their elasticity, then blood flow in impeded and slower around the body. Additionally, resveratrol and vitamin C are known to enhance collagen production which can lead to firmer skin.”

Read on for our pick of the best wellness and beauty-boosting resveratrol supplements.