Introduction
There is a wide (and increasing) variety of resveratrol pills on the market today. These pills differ based on the purity and potency of the resveratrol used, the resveratrol dose delivered, and type of pill casing used.
Purity & Potency
Purity
Resveratrol is sold in various purities and potencies. Whereas some resveratrol pills are offered with as little as 10% resveratrol, others contain 99% pure resveratrol. By in large, the two most common purities offered on the market today are 50% or 98-99%.
50% resveratrol is usually derived from polygonum cuspidatum (aka. Japanese Knotweed) – a plant rich in resveratrol and used in Asian medicine for centuries. A potential downside to 50% resveratrol derived from Japanese Knotweed is that it contains emodin – a natural compound that can cause diarrhea.
50% resveratrol can also be obtained from grapes or muscadines (muscadines are a grape native to the southeastern United States that contains naturally high levels of resveratrol – they are sometimes called scuppernongs).
99% pure resveratrol is also derived from Japanese Knotweed (note: this pure resveratrol derived from Japanese Knotweed has very little emodin content). Increasingly however, 99% pure resveratrol is derived using fermentation technology – not from plant sources. The fermented (i.e. synthetic) resveratrol is virtually identical to organic resveratrol (from plant sources).
Companies that offer fermented resveratrol for use in supplements include Fluxome, Chromadex, and DSM.
Potency
Potency is also a differentiating factor of various resveratrol pills. For instance, pills that use trans-resveratrol are much more potent than pills that use cis- resveratrol . (Note: trans-resveratrol can change to cis-resveratrol when the pill is exposed to excessive heat or ultraviolet light). As such, when purchasing resveratrol pills ensure that it contains trans-resveratrol. Also, do not expose the resveratrol to excessive heat or ultraviolet light.
The size of the resveratrol particles also determines a pill’s potency. Products that contain micronized resveratrol are better absorbed (mg. for mg.) than products that contain standard resveratrol. (Note: micronization is the process of transforming normal sized solid particles to the size of several micrometers.)
Other additives to resveratrol pills that increase absorption include Tween 80 and HMPC/DOSS.
Pill types
Resveratrol pills are delivered in both capsules and tablets.
Most resveratrol pills are delivered in standard hard shelled capsules made either of gelatin (an animal protein) or plant polysaccharides (vegetarian). Powder resveratrol is encapsulated inside.
A smaller number of pills are delivered in solid tablet form (most of these tablets are coated for easier swallowing.)
An even smaller number of resveratrol pills are delivered in liquid/semi solid filled capsules. These pills are nitrogen sealed to protect the contents from air exposure. (Note: the liquid in these pills can be the aforementioned Tween 80 or HPMC/DOSS, which increases absorbtion).
With regard to resveratrol capsules, the capsule casing should be colored to prevent ultraviolet light from degrading the trans-resveratrol into cis-resveratrol (see the potency section above).
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