Resveratrol vs. Trans Resveratrol
The first problem is the name. It’s hard to pronounce, right? It takes most people five times to navigate all the syllables and spit it out correctly. Rez-VAIR-a-trawl.
The second problem is that sometimes you hear about “resveratrol,” sometimes you hear about “trans resveratrol,” and sometimes you hear about “pure resveratrol.”
They are not all the same thing.
Resveratrol is the general product name for a supplement sold in different levels of purity. Trans resveratrol, on the other hand, is the active ingredient in a resveratrol supplement. In other words, resveratrol products contain varying percentages of the active ingredient trans resveratrol. Some brands’ products are only 5 percent pure, while others might be 25 percent, 50 percent, or 75 percent pure.
Most resveratrol found on store shelves in the U.S. contains 50 percent or less of the active ingredient. Since it is a dietary supplement, the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate the labeling of such products in terms of their purity. So consumers must beware!
Because you cannot be sure how much trans resveratrol your supplement contains, always be sure to buy pure trans resveratrol.
What is Pure Trans Resveratrol?
Pure trans resveratrol is a resveratrol product that is at least 99 percent comprised of the active ingredient- trans-resveratrol. Resveratrol occurs naturally in such plants and plant products as dark chocolate, tea leaves, certain berries, grapes, peanuts and Japaneses knotweed, which is then purified to various purities, anywhere from 5 percent to 99 percent pure. Pure trans resveratrol may cost more, but it contains effective dosages of the active ingredient, unlike many competitors – 5 to 10 percent pure – which are essentially useless.
Pure trans resveratrol has numerous health benefits, as mentioned above. These include protection against heart-attacks and strokes, anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties, , macular degeneration and cataracts, and cancer-fighting properties.
It also reduces the instances or severity of the following:
- Liver disease
- Joint disease
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Lyme disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Atherosclerosis (hardened arteries)
The list above contains only some of the many potential health benefits of taking pure trans resveratrol supplements.
Trans Resveratrol vs. Cis Resveratrol
To confuse matters further, in addition to trans resveratrol, low purity resveratrol supplements contain “cis resveratrol,” which likewise occurs naturally in the same plant products as does trans resveratrol. However, cis resveratrol has no known beneficial health properties. Most lower quality supplements contain large quantities of this useless cousin of trans resveratrol.
Pure Trans Resveratrol Has No Side Effects
In addition to cis resveratrol, lower purity supplements also contain emodin, an extract of buckthorn, Turkish rhubarb, and Japanese knotweed. Emodin has laxative properties, and is known to have some unpleasant side effects. Some sensitive individuals may experience gas, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or loss of appetite.
Unlike lower purity supplements, pure trans resveratrol has no side effects.
Final Thoughts
consumers should be aware that, even though the initial cost of lower purity resveratrol supplements is often lower, the ultimate cost may be even greater than the cost of pure trans resveratrol. For instance, consumers who choose 50 percent purity supplements must take double the dosage to achieve the same results of pure trans-resveratrol. Consumers who take 20 percent purity supplements must take five capsules to match the effectiveness of a single pure trans resveratrol capsule.
Hopefully, you will no longer be perplexed or bored witless by the myriad terms and confusing gobbledygook that surrounds resveratrol products. No longer do you need to ask, “What is pure trans resveratrol?”
For the benefits to your heart, eyes, liver, and cardiovascular system, consider starting a program of pure trans resveratrol supplements.
I love it.Short ,simple ,very, very-very informative . Tkx
Great info. Thanks
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I’ve not used He Shou Wu, and I don’t know too much about the product. The grey hair “restoration effect” may be the effect of the dark pigment, a dye-like substance that causes the hair color change. I cannot recommend a product I don’t know enough about… Thank you!
My husband and I started to take resverteol daily. I purchased a product that claimed it was 98% pure trans resveratrol. However the brand was derived from polygonum cuspidatum, which I believe is where emodin maybe the 2%.
At first I had a loss of appetite, and then over the next few days I started feeling nauseous, the last day I took it I was in bed, very sick, feeling very nauseous, and then finally vomited multiple times. I stopped taking it for about two weeks, and tried it once again with half a dose and it was just as bad as the last day I took it.
Based on your article I am surmising that my reaction was due to the Emodin within the resvertrol. Do you know of any resveratrol that is not made from Japanese Knottwood? Or plants that contain emodin?
Hi Fl Mamabear,
Although the difference between Resveratrol 98% and 99% pure is 1%, the way the products are manufactured is different. The 98% product is manufactured by extraction, Resveratrol 99% is manufactured by way of isolation. Trans-Resveratrol is isolated from the plant, which provide an end product of 99%+ pure trans-Resveratrol and nothing else. The isolation process is relatively expensive and its the reason for the difference in price between 98% and 99% products (can be 25%-30% more expensive).
The purity claimed by manufacturers is not always what we end up receiving. Unless the product is purity verified by an independent Lab, there’s no way to know the actual TRANS- resveratrol content. For example, a company on Amazon is offering a bottle of 180 capsules 1000mg (misleading, since it requires 2 X 500 mg capsules) at $27.99. The product is described as “100% Pure”, and as “Extra Strength”, but contains only 3% Trans-Resveratrol (confirmed by 3rd party lab). The grapes image on the bottle makes it even worse since customers mislead to believe they’re getting “PURE” trans-resveratrol from grapes at a bargain price. In actuality, the customers are getting nothing more than grounded (dried) Japanese knotweed mixed with rice flour (which gives it the white color). Trans-Resveratrol content is not indicated anywhere on the bottle. Customers (which I like to refer to as victims) are leaving 5-star reviews for a fake product that has NO health benefits. To make things worse Amazon declared them as “Amazon Choice”. That’s just one example, and unfortunately, there are many more untrustworthy companies out there.
Regarding your question: It’s simply impossible to know the reason for your reaction without knowing the exact ingredients in the product you purchased. It could be high emodin, or it could be a different ingredient. Or maybe, it’s none of the above- and you may have an allergic reaction to the active ingredient itself- Resveratrol. Allergic reaction to resveratrol is rare but possible. In this case, taking higher purity (Resveratrol 99% pure) would cause a worse reaction. You can try a small dosage of pure resveratrol (10-25 mg) and see if you get any reaction. (We can mail you a few capsules to try at no charge).
And lastly, most resveratrol sold in the USA (and globally) is obtained from Japanese Knotweed. Grapes resveratrol is much more expensive to purify and is only available in purities of 6%-8% which would require multiple dosages at an astronomic price. Japanese Knotweed has the highest concentration of trans-resveratrol (more than grapes), and its the most economical plant for manufacturing resveratrol. For more information about Grapes Vs Knotweed: https://megaresveratrol.net/resveratrol-health-benefits/ (scroll down to Grape Resveratrol Vs. Japanese Knotweed Resveratrol).
Hello! I have a simple question. what is pure trans resveratrol? I’ve been so confused about this matter for so long. If I bought a resveratrol product and it says 98% pure is that a good product? Even if it has nothing else in it is that pure trans resveratrol? In some cases I’ve seen products with 50% trans resveratrol but it has other polyphenols from grapes etc
Please refer to the information posted on https://megaresveratrol.net/resveratrol-a-to-z/
Thank You for the informative facts. Really Helps the confusion of the whole thing.