Resveratrol Vs. Grapeseed
- Resveratrol is a compound found not only in grape skins, but also in peanuts, blueberries, mulberries, cranberries, eucalyptus, Japanese knotweed and spruce, according to the Mayo Clinic and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
The food source for grape seeds is the red grape. Grape-seed supplements are also known as grape-seed oil, grape-seed extract and muskat. - The polyphenolic compound resveratrol is especially known for its heart-protective benefits, specifically benefiting and preventing coronary artery disease. Other purported uses are the prevention of atherosclerosis and cancer and the reduction of general inflammation.
Grape seed, particularly in the form of grape-seed extract and grape-seed oil, has been used for the healing of wounds, the treatment of burns, as a laxative and as an antacid. Other purported uses are the prevention of atherosclerosis and cancer and the reduction of high cholesterol levels. - The studies published through August 2009 on both resveratrol and grape seed are mostly the results of research done on animals. But small, preliminary human trials using grape-seed extract have showed a potential for lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels and increasing total antioxidant activity, according to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
- The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center advises that "women with estrogen receptor-positive cancers should avoid resveratrol."
Both resveratrol and grape seed may affect blood-thinning medications such as Coumadin.
For these reasons, and other possible drug-herb interactions, it is important to inform your health-care provider of any and all nutritional/dietary supplements you are taking. - Grape seed, in its various forms, is used in alternative medicine, as is resveratrol. Traditional medicine is unable to embrace either supplement until scientific research is able to prove not only the benefits of these supplements, but also any possible adverse effects.