9 Pterostilbene Health Benefits + Dosage & Side Effects

They say it’s better than resveratrol. They call it dragon’s blood, or even the fountain of youth. Does science back up the hype? What are the limitations and risks? Find out here. What is Pterostilbene? Pterostilbene is an antioxidant found in many plants, including almonds, grape leaves and vines , blueberries and related Vaccinium berries , peanuts , dracaena plants , and Indian kino . Blueberries are the richest dietary source of pterostilbene; some trees produce it in “dragon’s blood,” a red resin with a long history of traditional use [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Some supplements are labeled with “trans-pterostilbene” rather than just “pterostilbene.” This compound actually has many names, one of which is trans-3,5-dimethoxy-4′-hydroxystilbene [ 8 ]. In chemistry, the word “trans” tells us that certain atoms (or groups of atoms) are on opposite sides of a molecule’s physical structure. The word “cis” tells us that those atoms are on the same side of the molecule. Both trans-pterostilbene and cis-pterostilbene are found in nature , though the trans form is more stable [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. The word pterostilbene alone , without a modifier , refers to the trans form by default . The cis form will always be called cis-pterostilbene [ 11 , 12 ]. Pterostilbene is part of a class of compounds called phytoalexins: in plants, these compounds defend against microbes and parasites. It is very similar to a better-known phytoalexin antioxidant, resveratrol . However, pterostilbene is about four times easier to absorb from the gut into the body; in theory, that could make it multiple times more effective than resveratrol, but this has yet to be confirmed in any formal study [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Proponents: May support […]

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