Exploring the Promise of Resveratrol: Where Do We Go From Here?

Resveratrol (3,5,4’-trihydroxystilbene), a plant-derived polyphenol and activator of the mamma-lian sirtuin, SIRT1, has demonstrated promisingeffects on glucose metabolism in rodent mod-els (1). However, despite the widespread use of resver-atrol as a nutritional supplement and the many health claims made on its behalf, data from human studies are extremely limited. Here, we explore why, in contrast to many studies in mammalian models, the article by Poulsen et al. (2) in this issue of Diabetes reports that chronic high doses of resveratrol have no demonstrable metabolic effects. Interest in resveratrol has skyrocketed in recent years, initially from its association with the health benefits of red wine (the “French paradox”) and its in vitro anticancer activity (3). Subsequent reports demonstrated that it acti-vates sirtuins and extends the life span of lower organisms (“calorie restriction mimetic”), including rodents (4)