One thing is for sure, and that is there has never been a discovery that carries as much potential benefits for the human race as that of resveratrol. This plant extract has been shown in studied to increase life spans, decrease weight, and increase endurance. It has also been shown to slow down the ageing process significantly as well as combat various diseases of ageing including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes.
With all that going for it, most people wonder where they can get their hands on resveratrol. In order to realize the maximum benefits of the compound, studies suggest that about 5 mg per kg of body weight need to be taken daily. Let’s take a look at where you can find resveratrol, and the best source of resveratrol for people who want to embark on a health plan for it.
- Red Wine: By far the greatest concentration of resveratrol is found in red wine. There can be anywhere from 1 mg to 13 mg of resveratrol in each litre of wine, depending on country of origin and the type of wine.
- Muscadine grapes: While reports are still inconclusive, it is possible that muscadine grapes and the wines made from them may be the best natural sources of resveratrol. Some studies have found concentrations as high as 40 mg per litre in wines made from these grapes, while others have found little resveratrol presence at all.
- Peanuts: Peanuts are also one of the best natural sources of resveratrol. One cup of boiled peanuts contains about 1 mg of resveratrol. Raw peanuts have slightly less, about 1/5 of a mg of resveratrol. Peanut butter also has trace amounts of resveratrol.
- Red grapes: if you prefer grapes to wine, then you would have to eat about 500 cups a day in order to get your daily resveratrol dosage, if you weighed 100lbs!
- Berries: Several types of berries contain resveratrol. Cranberries, blueberries, mulberries, and juices made from these berries all have about .1 mg of resveratrol per cup.
- Rhubarb: There is about .3 mg of resveratrol in every cup of rhubarb.
- Japanese knotweed: A rhubarb like plant, Japanese knotweed (or polygonum cuspidatum) has about .6 mg per cup. There’s a bit more in tea made from this plant, about 1 mg per cup.
Don’t try to get resveratrol naturally
The upshot of all this is that it is virtually impossible to get the recommended daily dosage of resveratrol for the health benefits strictly through diet. If we take out the controversial muscadine grape findings, the highest concentration of resveratrol is found in red wines. Even in the best bottles (from the point of view of the resveratrol connoisseur) there will only be 13 mg in one litre of wine. That means the average 150lb person would have to drink 340 litres of wine a day! Obviously, not a task which could be accomplished (and even if it could, there would be detrimental effects which would outweigh the benefits of resveratrol).
The best way to get the daily dose of resveratrol needed, then, is through an extract. As awareness of this compound continues to grow, more supplements will become available and available to more people.
