Is Resveratrol Over-hyped and Over-priced?

I have been considering dropping resveratrol.  A lot of the hype has died down on it, and there aren't too many convincing human studies. It has a really low bio-availability. I think there might be better supplements to spend money on. I really like curcumin and I know they are supposed to be synergistic. That is the main reason I have continued to take it for so long, but I can't say I really notice much one way or another from resveratrol.

I just came across this article which is VERY anti-resveratrol!  http://www.youngagain.org/r7.html It's very 'quackwatch-esque' but they mention that they aren't fans of quackwatch. The main thing that I wonder about is the cost of resveratrol. If it is really as cheap as they say it is then I am getting ripped off royally! Reading about how it is waste product from wine production that they used to feed to pigs before they started selling it as a supplement- reminds me of how fluoride being a waste product of fertilizer was hyped for teeth and now it's in almost every toothpaste you can buy (not to mention drinking water). If there's one thing I am more passionate about than my health, it's being screwed or taken advantage of. Here's the text of the article. What do you think?

Resveratrol Is Rubbish -Roger Mason

Resveratrol (3,5,4 trans-hydroxy stilbene) was discovered about 70 years ago. It’s hardly new. You see everyone selling resveratrol, so it must be good stuff, right? If so many people are buying it, then it must work, right? Wrong! It doesn’t work, never did work, and never will work. Science proves it is worthless. Some websites call this a “Miracle Supplement”. They claim, “Resveratrol Cuts Risk of Prostate Cancer Up to 60%,” and, “Helps Prevent Blood Clots and Stroke,” and, “Attacks Cancer Cells,” and, “Dramatically Increases Life Span,” and “ Reduces Risk of Coronary Disease,” and “One Way to Stop the Flu”. The Life Extension Foundation (read the Life Extension article) said, “Findings from the published scientific literature indicates resveratrol may be the most effective plant extract for maintaining optimal health.”  It would be great if any of this was true, but it isn’t. Morons like Dr. Oz praise this as a Magical Cureall (read Dr. Oz is in the Ozone). Even if it did have any value- which it doesn’t- it is exogenous, and would only have minor and very temporary effects. It isn’t found in your body or in common food, only grape skins (not the seeds or the juice), mulberries, and peanuts basically. It is not in your food or in your body. Read the article Endogenous and Exogenous. This is a waste product from the wine industry. Grape skins were fed to pigs before the crooks figured out how to sell it to the naïve and gullible.

There is not one valid animal study, much less a human study that shows any value at all. Any "study" you might find is simply a paid advertisement in a second rate journal.  Resveratrol is only 30 cents a gram wholesale ($300 a kg). A bottle of 60 X 100 mg, for example, only contains 6 grams, or $1.80 worth, of actual resveratrol. Yet  this sells for up to twenty bucks??? Twenty dollars for $1.80 worth! Pig feed for $20 a bottle?  Resveratrol has been around for seven decades, and there is still no science behind it. If  his had any real value at all, we would have had published human decades ago. We are the only supplement company in the world who refuses to sell this junk. Young Again doesn’t sell rubbish.

Folks, there are no Magic Supplements to cure what ails you. Diet and lifestyle cure disease, not Magic Anything. Supplements are only one of the Seven Steps to Natural Health (please read the article "Seven Steps".) People under 40 only need about eight supplements (read Supplements for Younger People), and people over 50 need about twenty (read Serious Supplement Program). People over 40 also need hormone balance (read Balance Your Hormones.)                

Quackwatch (www.quackwatch.com) is no friend of ours, but they did expose reservatrol as a worthless promotion. Sirtus Pharmaceuticals is behind all of this basically. They are a subsidiary of the huge megacorporation GlaxoSmithKline. They sponsored a human study in 2010 on SRT501, a patented  (you can’t patent natural molecules) slightly modified form of resveratrol. The study had to be halted due to kidney damage in some patients!!!

Johns Hopkins University studied 800 adults, and published the results in JAMA Internal Medicine May 14, 2014. Their blood levels of resveratrol were measured. They clearly found resveratrol had no health benefits at all. In fact they suggested people not waste their money on this. The blood analysis of 800 real people proved this is worthless.

Resveratrol is a useless scam. For ten years now we have been the ONLY ones in the world to tell you it doesn't work, and has no health benefits. Pleases read the article Garbage Supplements in 2014 at www.youngagain.org to see what other junk is being promoted by crooks. Most people just not have discovered this, so it still continues to be a successful product for those who don’t know any better. Remember, any company that sells resveratrol is a scam outfit that only cares about your money, not your health and well being. We care about your health and well being.

Meh these days everybody has their own, different opinion. Krill oil was shown in more studies to do what it's marketed for, what is the problem with it? Can't comment on much else besides that Vitamin D in new meta analysis doesn't show any long term toxicities below 10,000 IU. Mineral supplementation is fine, as long as you do what you need. Source and producer matters also. What's wrong with Thorne's B-complex? Why isn't it on the effective list? Same with probiotics. Some wheys are fine. That website is really black-white. Can't say anything about resveratrol though, never tried it.

It won't work for everyone

and it is better absorbed with alcohol

That may be the best option

I often use a phrase a lot, which usually seems appropriate for subjects like these. Basically the devil is in the details.

Regarding the author who I won't mention his name here is notorious for bashing things, and oddly enough he holds on to some unusually outdated myths.

So about trans-resveratrol...I like it with curcumin for reasons mentioned hundreds of times in the past.

Blood stream is irrelevant with it comes to both of these molecules, the reason has everything to do with two things:

(1) it activates enzymes in the liver
(2) it positively influences the microbiota.

Since "modern medicine" is so obsessed with serum levels, they ignore what happens within the cell, liver enzyme activation and microbiota, so they are looking at through the wrong lens.

The bottom line is, the stuff works on downregulating important inflammatory pathways (TGF-beta) for just one of many.

CS,

I should have been more specific with my question...

Do you think that the evidence at this time for resveratrol justifies the steep cost relative to other supplements? Meaning- Aren't there supplements that are more affordable, with longer history, and more tangible results, that would be a better choice for those on a budget as far as cost/benefit? Is resveratrol a luxury supplement for those who can afford it? All the studies seem to use like 1+ gram dose equivalents which is doable but very costly. Even at lower doses it is expensive. Seems like even grape seed extract might be better cost/benefit?

Also, I have taken resveratrol for years and didn't realize it is classified as a phyto-estrogen. Apparently there are conflicting studies on this, but it looks as though it may act as both an agonist and antagonist. What is your understanding on this, and would you recommend avoidance to those who already have estrogen issues (e.g from finsteride)?