Head to head
Resveratrol against Pterostilbene
Two stilbenes marketed as interchangeable, with pterostilbene sold on better bioavailability. Its one randomised human trial, 80 adults with raised cholesterol, lowered systolic blood pressure by 7.8 mmHg and raised LDL cholesterol by 17.1 mg per dL in the same people.
Column A
ResveratrolResveratrol (trans-3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene)
The polyphenol behind the sirtuin era of longevity research and one of the most heavily trialled supplements in this database: over 150 completed registered studies, results that conflict by population and dose rather than pointing one way, and no trial of lifespan or any hard clinical outcome in people.
Column B
PterostilbenePterostilbene, the dimethyl ether analogue of resveratrol
One randomised human trial, 80 adults with raised cholesterol. At 250 mg a day it lowered systolic blood pressure by 7.8 mmHg and raised LDL cholesterol by 17.1 mg/dL in the same people. No human trial has measured an ageing endpoint of any kind.
Side by side, on the facts we can check
| Attribute | Resveratrol | Pterostilbene |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Longevity | Longevity |
| FDA status | Dietary supplement; not an approved drug. Labels may carry structure/function claims with the DSHEA disclaimer, but not disease treatment or prevention claims | Not an approved drug. Sold as a dietary supplement, frequently bundled with nicotinamide riboside or resveratrol in longevity formulations. |
| Half-life | About 9 hours for resveratrol plus its sulfate and glucuronide conjugates after an oral dose; free parent compound is cleared far faster | Not established in humans. No human pharmacokinetic study was located for this entry; the comparative absorption work is in rats. |
| Molecular weight | 228.24 Da | 256.3 Da. A stilbene, not a peptide. |
| Mechanism | Proposed as an allosteric activator of the NAD+-dependent deacetylase SIRT1, with downstream AMPK and PGC-1alpha signalling that mimics parts of calorie restriction. That direct-activation claim is disputed: groups at Amgen (2009) and Pfizer (2010) showed the measured activation depends on a fluorophore-tagged assay peptide and disappears with native substrates, while Sirtris and Sinclair's group argue in Science (2013) that activation is real but requires substrates carrying specific hydrophobic motifs and a single SIRT1 residue, Glu230. Independently of sirtuins, resveratrol has documented antioxidant activity, endothelial nitric oxide and flow-mediated dilation effects, and inhibition of CYP3A4, CYP2D6 and CYP2C9 at gram doses. | Structurally, resveratrol with two of its three hydroxyl groups replaced by methoxy groups. That change makes the molecule more lipophilic and a much poorer substrate for the phase 2 conjugation enzymes that clear resveratrol, which is the entire pharmacokinetic argument for it. The downstream biology attributed to it is the same list attributed to resveratrol: SIRT1 activation, AMPK signalling, NRF2 induction and antioxidant activity, most of it established in cell culture at concentrations well above what oral dosing produces in human plasma. Why it raises LDL cholesterol in people is not established. The trial that found the effect was not designed to explain it, and the observation that combining it with grape extract abolished the rise, and that background statin therapy attenuated it, has not been followed up. |
| Human studies cited | 14 | 2 |
| Legal status, US | Sold as a dietary supplement; not an approved drug | Sold as a supplement |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Resveratrol and Pterostilbene?
Resveratrol: The polyphenol behind the sirtuin era of longevity research and one of the most heavily trialled supplements in this database: over 150 completed registered studies, results that conflict by population and dose rather than pointing one way, and no trial of lifespan or any hard clinical outcome in people. Pterostilbene: One randomised human trial, 80 adults with raised cholesterol. At 250 mg a day it lowered systolic blood pressure by 7.8 mmHg and raised LDL cholesterol by 17.1 mg/dL in the same people. No human trial has measured an ageing endpoint of any kind.
Which has stronger research evidence, Resveratrol or Pterostilbene?
This database does not grade compounds. It counts what was run in people: 14 of the 22 studies cited on the Resveratrol profile were human work, against 2 of 4 for Pterostilbene. Those counts are of our own citation lists and understate any larger literature, and neither is a recommendation.
Are Resveratrol and Pterostilbene FDA-approved?
Resveratrol: Dietary supplement; not an approved drug. Labels may carry structure/function claims with the DSHEA disclaimer, but not disease treatment or prevention claims. Pterostilbene: Not an approved drug. Sold as a dietary supplement, frequently bundled with nicotinamide riboside or resveratrol in longevity formulations..
Reviewed Sep 2026. This page sets two published records side by side. It is educational, it is not medical advice, and it contains no dosing protocols or recommendations for personal use.