Resveratrol vs Pterostilbene
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
Two related plant compounds marketed as the same, with pterostilbene sold as better absorbed. Its one human trial, in 80 adults with high cholesterol, lowered the top blood pressure number by 7.8 mmHg. It also raised LDL cholesterol by 17.1 mg per dL in the same people.
- Resveratrol people
- 403
- Resveratrol nulls
- 8
- Pterostilbene people
- 80
- Pterostilbene nulls
- 0
Dose
No human dose established
Amounts that were given in studies sit in Human evidence on this page. None of them is a personal dose.
14 completed trials, 403 people given it
Dose
No human dose established
Amounts that were given in studies sit in Human evidence on this page. None of them is a personal dose.
1 completed trial, 80 people given it
First-hand reports are counted on each profile and never added together. This page sets two published records side by side. It does not pick a winner.
Column A
ResveratrolResveratrol (trans-3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene)
Resveratrol is the grape and red wine compound behind the first big wave of anti-ageing research. It is one of the most tested supplements on this site, with over 150 finished registered studies. The results conflict, and they split by who took it and how much, rather than pointing one way. No trial in people has measured lifespan or any hard health result like heart attacks or death.
Column B
PterostilbenePterostilbene, the dimethyl ether analogue of resveratrol
One study in people: 80 adults with high cholesterol. At 250 mg a day, it lowered the top blood pressure number by 7.8 points. In the same people, it raised LDL, the bad cholesterol, by 17.1 mg/dL. No human study has measured anything to do with ageing.
Side by side, on the facts we can check
| What we compare | Resveratrol | Pterostilbene |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Longevity | Longevity |
| FDA status | Dietary supplement; not an approved drug. Labels may say how it supports the body, with the disclaimer the US supplement law requires, but may not claim to treat or prevent a disease | Not an approved drug. Sold as a dietary supplement, often mixed with nicotinamide riboside or resveratrol in longevity products. |
| 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. |
| How it works | The main idea is that resveratrol switches on SIRT1, an enzyme that needs NAD+ to work. That in turn sets off signals, AMPK and PGC-1alpha, that copy parts of eating less. That claim is disputed. Teams at Amgen (2009) and Pfizer (2010) showed the switch-on only happened with a glowing tag stuck to the test protein. It vanished with natural proteins. Sirtris and Sinclair's group answered in Science (2013). They argued the switch-on is real, but only with target proteins that carry certain water-avoiding patches, plus one spot on SIRT1, Glu230. Apart from sirtuins, resveratrol is a known antioxidant. It helps blood vessels widen through nitric oxide. And at gram doses it blocks the liver enzymes CYP3A4, CYP2D6 and CYP2C9, which break down many prescription drugs. | It is resveratrol with a small chemical change: two of its three reactive groups are capped. That makes it more fat-soluble and much harder for the liver to break down and clear. That is the whole absorption argument for it. The benefits claimed for it are the same list claimed for resveratrol: turning on SIRT1, AMPK and NRF2, and acting as an antioxidant. Most of that was shown in cells in a dish, at levels well above what a pill produces in human blood. Why it raises LDL cholesterol in people is not known. The study that found it was not built to explain it. Nobody has followed up on the clues, that adding grape extract removed the rise and that a cholesterol drug blunted it. |
| Studies in people | 14 | 2 |
| Evidence | Moderate: 14 completed trials, 403 people given it | Limited: 1 completed trial, 80 people given it |
| 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: Resveratrol is the grape and red wine compound behind the first big wave of anti-ageing research. It is one of the most tested supplements on this site, with over 150 finished registered studies. The results conflict, and they split by who took it and how much, rather than pointing one way. No trial in people has measured lifespan or any hard health result like heart attacks or death. Pterostilbene: One study in people: 80 adults with high cholesterol. At 250 mg a day, it lowered the top blood pressure number by 7.8 points. In the same people, it raised LDL, the bad cholesterol, by 17.1 mg/dL. No human study has measured anything to do with ageing.
Which has stronger research evidence, Resveratrol or Pterostilbene?
Each compound gets a band worked out from facts we counted, with the math shown. Resveratrol is Moderate (14 completed trials, 403 people given it). Pterostilbene is Limited (1 completed trial, 80 people given it). That counts how much has been done in people. It does not rate whether either one works, and neither one is called the winner.
Are Resveratrol and Pterostilbene FDA-approved?
Resveratrol: Dietary supplement; not an approved drug. Labels may say how it supports the body, with the disclaimer the US supplement law requires, but may not claim to treat or prevent a disease. Pterostilbene: Not an approved drug. Sold as a dietary supplement, often mixed with nicotinamide riboside or resveratrol in longevity products..
Reviewed Sep 2026. This page puts two published records side by side. It is for learning, and it is not medical advice. When this site shows a dose, it is the dose a trial or a clinic actually used, or what people say they did, with the source attached. None of it tells you what to take.