Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene), a phytoalexin produced naturally by several plants when under attack by pathogens such as bacteria or fungi, significantly extends the lifespan of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Caenorhabditis elegans and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Resveratrol is currently a topic of numerous animal and human studies into its effects.

The effects of resveratrol on the lifespan of many model organisms remain controversial....

Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) is a phenol phytoalexin derived from grapes, berries, and other plants possessing a spectrum of pharmacologic properties. Resveratrol has been shown to modulate LDL levels, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, to interfere with or inhibit oncogenesis and tumor proliferation in in vivo animal cancer models and in human tumor cells in vitro, to significantly extend the lifespan of the yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae, Caenorhabditis elegans and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, and to produce...