Pterostilbene: Benefits, Side Effects, Best Time to Take It & More

Pterostilbene

(3,5-Dimethoxy-4-Hydroxystilbene)

Evidence: Reasonable
Possible Benefits: Reasonable
Safety: Reasonable

What is Pterostilbene?

Pterostilbene is a popular dietary supplement used for slowing down aging and improving various aspects of health. It is often called “better resveratrol” as it absorbs better and is more potent. However, it is not as studied and doesn’t seem as beneficial in some areas. It also doesn’t improve cholesterol levels and may even worsen them in some people. This article is about the main benefits of pterostilbene, its potential side effects, the best time to take it, and more.

Possible benefits

All of the potential benefits mentioned below are dose-dependent. As with most other supplements, there is a sweet-spot dose that allows you to get most of the benefits without causing meaningful side effects or tolerance buildup in the body. We will discuss the best dosing protocol later in this article.

Major benefits

Antioxidant properties – The supplement acts as a strong antioxidant and can greatly reduce damage caused by free radicals and oxidative stress.

Minor benefits

Reduced anxiety – This benefit is mild but can occur even at very low doses (about 10 mg). Interestingly, high doses have a smaller anxiolytic effect than low doses if any.
Reduced blood pressure – Pterostilbene can reduce blood pressure in people with hypercholesterolemia. This effect is more pronounced when pterostilbene is taken with grape seed extract.
Reduced inflammation – This supplement is anti-inflammatory and can improve various markers of inflammation in the body.
Improved immune health – Secondary to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, Pterostilbene can strengthen immune system health and function. This compound can also reduce the symptoms of various autoimmune conditions.
Increased healthspan and lifespan – This effect hasn’t been studied directly in humans yet as the studies would be very costly and take a long time to create. However, animal studies suggest that Pterostilbene supports various mechanisms associated with healthy aging and increases in lifespan and healthspan.

Possible side effects

The side effects below are dose-dependent. The risk for them increases (often linearly but sometimes exponentially) as you increase the dose. Some of the side effects only apply to very high doses.

Worsened cholesterol levels – Pterostilbene can mildly lower HDL cholesterol and increase LDL and total cholesterol levels. This effect was found in people with hypercholesterolemia but may apply to other individuals as well. It can be mitigated by combining the supplement with grape seed extract.
Allergic reaction – An allergy to this supplement is rare but possible.
Nausea – This side effect is most common when people take the supplement on an empty stomach.
Diarrhea – You can usually prevent diarrhea or stomach discomfort by taking this supplement with a meal.
Toxicity – While acute toxicity is extremely rare, taking high amounts of this anti-aging compound could lead to chronic toxicity and cause health problems over time. Regularly taking high doses can also cause the body to develop a tolerance to the supplement. To prevent chronic toxicity or the buildup of tolerance, staying below 250 mg in a day is best unless you have a great reason to take more.
Contamination – Contaminated supplements are uncommon in the USA and other well-regulated countries. However, if you wish to buy products from China, India, or other countries without strict regulations, beware that the supplements may be contaminated. Either way, you need to choose the brand you order from wisely. Always read through some reviews for the specific product before you buy it. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has the power to regulate dietary supplements but can only do so after they have been on the market for a while. That’s because supplement companies are not obligated to announce to the FDA when releasing a new product. The FDA has to discover the product and test it for potential impurities, which can take a lot of time. During that time, the supplement can be sold on the market even if it’s impure. Also, supplement companies can change their manufacturers without announcing it to the FDA.

Who should not take pterostilbene?

You should probably avoid taking pterostilbene if you:

have hypercholesterolemia or unhealthy cholesterol levels
are allergic to this compound
experience a severe adverse reaction after taking the supplement
are pregnant or breastfeeding (while it can be safe to take this supplement during pregnancy or breastfeeding, it can put some unnecessary risk to the child)

Who will benefit the most?

You should consider taking the supplement if you:

are older
have a high budget for supplements and are willing to experiment with a variety of them (assuming you don’t fall into any of the categories that should avoid this supplement, pterostilbene appears relatively safe and is unlikely to do more harm than good for most people)

How much pterostilbene should you take?

The sweet spot typically ranges between 10-15 mg daily for reducing anxiety and 125-250 mg daily for most other benefits. This amount should provide most of the benefits without meaningful side effects.

The higher end of this range usually provides slightly more benefits in the short term. If you plan to take this supplement for a longer time (multiple months or years), the lower end is probably a better way to go since it is safer, and you would develop tolerance faster if you were to take higher doses.

The upper safety limit for this compound is not well-established. To stay on the safe side, don’t take more than the recommended dose unless you have a great reason to do so. Higher amounts may cause problems if you take the supplement for a prolonged period.

Like most other supplements, it is best to cycle pterostilbene and take about two days off weekly to reset your tolerance. That will allow you to keep getting the benefits in the long term.

Best time to take pterostilbene

Pterostilbene is fat-soluble, so you should always take it with food or a dietary source of fat to absorb it well.

Whether you take the supplement in the morning or the evening does not make much difference. Both options are fine so feel free to experiment.

Interactions

Grape seed extract
Taking grape seed extract together with pterostilbene can mitigate some of the side effects of pterostilbene, such as worsened cholesterol levels.

Where to buy pterostilbene?

In most countries, Amazon is the best option for ordering pterostilbene and other anti-aging supplements. They offer some very affordable products backed by many positive reviews. Also, you can choose from a wide range of brands without having to search through other markets on the Internet.

Some brands display the dosage per serving instead of per pill or capsule. Therefore, you may accidentally buy something less potent than you intended. Do not fall for this marketing trick.

Pterostilbene vs Resveratrol

Pterostilbene is a dimethylated derivative of resveratrol. These two compounds are structurally very similar but some of their effects can differ greatly.

Pterostilbene is often called better resveratrol as it is more potent in some mechanisms and absorbs much better. It also doesn’t impair exercise performance and adaptations in the same way resveratrol can.

On the other hand, pterostilbene can worsen one’s cholesterol levels while resveratrol can slightly improve them. Resveratrol is also a more studied compound with more proven benefits.

One is not necessarily better than the other. If you have a high budget for supplements and you don’t fall into any of the categories of people that should avoid these, you can experiment with both of them to find which one works better for you. If you have a small budget for supplements, it is probably better to go for something completely different as neither resveratrol nor pterostilbene have the highest return on investment for most people.

FAQ

As with most other anti-aging supplements, it is best to cycle pterostilbene and take a break from it for about two days per week to reset your tolerance back to baseline. That will keep your body sensitive to the supplement and allow you to keep getting the benefits in the long term.

All of these options are fine. The two most important things to consider are the price and dosing. Powders are almost always the cheapest form. However, you may need a highly accurate scale to dose them correctly (preferably 0.001g). You can get one for as little as $20 from Amazon. Dosing the powders also takes time which can add up over months or years. The disadvantage of capsules is that they are often made of bovine gelatine, which rarely comes from ethical sources.

The supplement by itself should not worsen your sleep quality in any way. However, it’s best to take it with food, and you generally don’t want to eat any food right before bed as it could worsen your digestion and sleep quality.

This compound should not become harmful once it exceeds the expiration date. However, it can lose potency over time. Keep this supplement in a cold, dark, and dry place so it remains as potent for many months or even years.

While acute toxicity is rare, taking very high amounts of this supplement could lead to various problems over time. High doses can also make you develop tolerance much faster than lower doses.

While you could safely take higher doses, there is usually no point in taking more than 250 mg of this compound daily. This amount should give you most of the benefits without meaningful side effects.

The half-life of pterostilbene in the body is about 1.5-2 hours. This compound gets metabolized within 8 hours after you consume it. However, most of the effects of this supplement are cumulative, so they mainly happen in the long term rather than acutely. Therefore, the half-life of this compound isn’t very relevant in practice.

In the long term, you must take the supplement for about 2-4 weeks to begin noticing most of the benefits.

Most pterostilbene supplements on the market are vegan-friendly, but always check the label to assure yourself. If you buy the compound in a capsulated form, beware that the capsules often contain animal-based gelatin. Instead, find a brand that puts its products into cellulose capsules.

No, it does not. The supplement should not interfere with fasting in any significant way. However, you still want to take the compound with food as it will absorb better.

References

Most of the information in this guide is based on scientific research that can be found and verified in the PubMed medical library. We highly encourage you to use the library to verify anything you read in this article. We excluded from consideration studies that are either confounded or have a high conflict of interest.

TABLE OF CONTENTS