Pterostilbene vs Resveratrol
Nearly the same molecule, with one real difference: pterostilbene is far better absorbed. What neither has is human evidence that the absorption buys anything on aging.
Pterostilbene
Resveratrol's more-absorbable cousin — better pharmacokinetics is the real edge, but human outcome data is a couple of small trials (one raised LDL) and no aging trials exist.
Full Pterostilbene evidence reviewResveratrol
Spectacular in yeast and mice (SIRT1), disappointing in humans — modest benefit only in diabetics, and it blunted exercise gains in one RCT.
Full Resveratrol evidence reviewSide by side
| Pterostilbene | Resveratrol | |
|---|---|---|
| Marketed for | Sirtuin activation, longevity | Sirtuin activation, longevity |
| Evidence grade | Clinical data | Preclinical / minimal |
| Family | mTOR & other | mTOR & other |
| Key human source | Riche RCT, Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2014 | Human meta-analysis, AJCN 2014 |
marks a row where the two differ. Evidence grades come from our evidence matrix, which grades each molecule on the human data for the use it is marketed for.
Our verdict
Resveratrol is the field's cautionary tale: spectacular in yeast and mice, modest only in people with diabetes, null in healthy people, and in one trial it blunted the cardiovascular gains of exercise training in older men. Pterostilbene fixes resveratrol's most obvious flaw, with oral bioavailability of roughly 80 percent in rats versus about 20 percent for resveratrol, but its human record is two small, short trials of metabolic markers from one research group. In that efficacy trial, high-dose monotherapy lowered blood pressure and raised LDL cholesterol by about 17 mg/dL, which is a mixed signal, not a win. The two have not been compared directly on any outcome, and neither has a single human aging trial.
Pterostilbene fits if
Pterostilbene suits the reader who wants the stilbene mechanism with pharmacokinetics that actually deliver it, and who will watch LDL while accepting there are no aging outcomes behind it.
Resveratrol fits if
Resveratrol makes sense mainly for someone with type 2 diabetes chasing the modest glucose and insulin-sensitivity signal from its meta-analyses, and not for a healthy person who trains.