Dr Oz & Resveratrol

Frequent Oprah guest Dr Oz, "America's Doctor," has been frequently seen lately on ads for a nutritional supplement called resveratrol. Commonly associated with red wine and increased longevity, the science behind resveratrol goes back quite far, and its life-extending benefits, at least in animals, is well-documented.

What is resveratrol? Resveratrol is a naturally-occurring substance called a phytoalexin, that certain plants produce to ward off fungal attack. Grapes, peanuts and other plants are under constant attack by fungus, and the resveratrol they produce can prevent the fungus from taking hold and damaging the plant. For reasons that are not completely understood, the same substance that prevents fungal growth in plants makes animals, from the lowly yeast all the way up to mice in laboratory tests, live considerably longer, with fewer health problems (like diabetes and cardiovascular disease), and even exhibit the behavior of younger animals, in terms of endurance and motor skills.

The answer is NONE. He does not endorse any particular brand of resveratrol, even those whose ads misleadingly feature his picture, nor does he profit from any particular company's product. In fact, since it's clear that he does not endorse any product, I think it's safe to say that any that claims to be endorsed by him is fraudulent and not worth buying. Caveat emptor! (read the article on Oprah.com on this)

Watch the video to the right. Note that Dr Oz endorses resveratrol, but does not endorse any particular brand. He does suggest 500 mg per day. Note this is the equivalent of dozens of bottles of red wine per day.

So which resveratrol should you buy? Since you're talking about an important supplement, I strongly suggest doing your research. This is my advice (and I've been taking resveratrol for about 4 years now):

• buy from a reputable company that you've heard of before, that sells nutritional supplements, and has been doing so for some time
• check the label and do the math. Often, the ingredients will say that the pill has Japanese knotweed. That's okay! Japanese knotweed is a natural source of resveratrol, but it means that it's not 100% resveratrol.
• If it says 2 capsules contain 500 mg of Japanese knotweed, which is standardized to contain 50% resveratrol, that means each capsule has 125 mg of resveratrol in it. Be sure you're comparing apples to apples - figure out the cost of 100 mg of pure resveratrol in a bottle and make that the basis of your comparison.
  
• make sure the manufacturer can demonstrate that the product is tested to contain the levels of resveratrol they're claiming on the bottle. Ask to see a lab report.
• don't get fooled by names like "red wine extract" or "resveratrol complex" in the ingredients. If the manufacturer is worth doing business with, any such ingredients should include what percentage resveratrol it is standardized to contain. If it says something like "resveratrol complex, containing resveratrol, red wine polyphenols and other antioxidants" without telling you how much is resveratrol, steer clear.
• if the ad asks "How does Marisa Tomei/Jennifer Aniston (or any other Hollywood actress) look so young?", avoid.
  
• don't buy any product that claims resveratrol will get rid of wrinkles, make you lose weight, or make your hair fuller. It can not do any of these things.
• don't buy from any company touting a free trial. Read the fine print and you'll see you are signing yourself up for an expensive monthly refill (that many people have complained to the Better Business Bureau about being impossible to cancel)
  

Some of the companies' products I have used (this is not an endorsement of my own; I am just sharing those that have met my standards):

• NSI (Nutraceutical Sciences Institute)
  
• Now
• Sundown
• Nature's Bounty
• RevGenetics
• Source Naturals
• Pure Encapsulations

Based on what I've seen, I strongly discourage spending even a penny on these brands, which I think are scams:

• Biotivia
• Resveratrol Ultra...which even stole the picture I had on my hub about resveratrol (shameless!)
  
• Rez Melts
• ResVer XP
• Resveratrol Miracle
• Pure RezV
• Pliatrol