Resveratrol Supplements seem to be advertised everywhere. Known for its anti-aging properties, many are supplementing their diets with resveratrol by food or nutritional resveratrol supplements.
Red wine is the clear winner in this field, having the highest concentration of absorbent resveratrol. Peanuts, cranberries and grape juice follow suit.
White wine on the other hand has low levels of resveratrol (10x lower than red wine extract) because the grape’s skins are removed in the making of white wine. Itadori tea, a traditional Japanese tea made from the knotweed plant, is a non-alcohol source of resveratrol, as well.
Resveratrol Supplements
You’re really better off with a resveratrol supplement. Resveratrol supplements and resveratrol products have higher nutrient concentrations than you can get with food alone. The way food is grown, harvested, and warehoused adversely affects the levels of resveratrol.
What you’ll find is that resveratrol supplements, like other nutritional supplements, come in different forms:
[supsystic-tables id=’6′]
Resveratrol Powder
THE NOT SO GOOD PART ABOUT POWDERS:
One of the problems with resveratrol is degradation. Once resveratrol is exposed to air, it quickly loses its concentration and power. That’s because resveratrol is an antioxidant, and the goal of antioxidants are to nullify free radicals – which are found in the air among other places.
Thus once resveratrol is susceptible to the air, it has completed its mission by nullifying the free radicals in the air around it. That means once you open the jug, the bucket or the jar of powder, the antioxidants go to work nullifying the free radicals in the air. They don’t wait for you to swallow it.
A resveratrol powder would exhibit this problem, especially if the powder is found in a jug form that requires scoops mixedin water. Each time the jug is opened, the powder becomes less effective.
BUT THERE IS A GREAT POWDER:
OPC Factor, a nutritional supplement that contains resveratrol, is the best resveratrol powder we’ve found. It’s individually packaged so oxidation is reduced to a minimum.
The packets are small, foil lined and sealed. The first time oxygen has a chance to oxidize the OPC Factor powder is right when you open it.
Mixed with water it becomes an effervescent and isotonic solution to increase the absorption of the nutrients. As you may have read, resveratrol is found in peanuts, blueberries, grapes, and Japanese knotweed. The reason we put OPC Factor on the top of the list is because it has ALL THE ANTIOXIDANTS from the wine, from the grapes, from the blueberries, from the peanuts and from the Japanese knotweed.
Resveratrol Pills
THE NOT SO GOOD PART ABOUT PILLS:
Pills are generally poor. Absorption of pills is cited as being anywhere from 2% – 20% for any nutritional supplement (see the Physician’s Desk Reference for that).
The second biggest problems with pills is that they’re typically exposed to oxygen. Each time you open the container, oxygen gets in and starts reacting with the antioxidants. Once the antioxidants come in contact with oxygen, they nullify free radicals in the oxygen and are useless in your body.
Also resveratrol is best absorbed in the mouth, known as buccal absorption. Pills give you none of that. But if you find taking a pill everyday easier than mixing a drink or drinking healthy red wine – choose wisely.
BUT THERE IS A GOOD PILL:
There are resveratrol pills on the market that are filled in a nitrogen environment instead of an oxygen environment. Manufacturing the pill before oxygen can get to it is great. Revatrol, a resveratrol pill, does encapsulate their pills inhibiting the degradation you normally get opening a bottle.
However, unlike the OPC Factor we mentioned above, Revatrol doesn’t have the full spectrum of antioxidants. Nevertheless, in faithfully recommending a pill version, we think Revatrol is the best pill.
Resveratrol Drinks
THE NOT SO GOOD PART ABOUT DRINKS:
Red Wine is the key here. Few things replicate what red wine does for you. Not only does it allow the resveratrol to sit one second in the mouth to be absorbed, but wine is sealed from oxygen until you open it and then it is drunk in one sitting.
Other liquids that come in jugs are to be used over a period of time. In that case, each time the drink is opened the resveratrol becomes oxidized and less valuable.
Juices are good sources, but the process they go through, the sugar that is added and the time it sits on the shelf makes them value-less. Genesis is a great supplement if you can buy it individual servings. It has a pretty poor aftertaste, so it’s probably not a good long term solution.
BUT THERE IS A GOOD DRINK:
Without harping on OPC Factor, it is a drink when mixed with water. And unlike bottles that once opened are susceptible to oxidation, OPC Factor’s servings are individually sealed and mixed with only 5 ounces of water, you can get all the antioxidants you need without much oxidation.
Our top resveratrol drink, however, is red wine. But if you can’t do the alcohol – try a organic grape juice or a non-alcoholic red wine.
A Complete Review of Resveratrol Supplements
We’ve reviewed over 100 resveratrol supplements. Our top supplement recommendations can be found at our Top Supplements Page. Links to the rest can be found there as well.
Nevertheless, we’ll be reviewing all three forms plus tonics, tablets and elixir’s. and providing links to places where all of them can be purchased with price, shipping and dosage recommendations. Author: Dan R Morris
Return from Resveratrol Supplements to Benefits of Resveratrol Home
