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Does resveratrol cause diarrhea?

Written by the Full Measure editorial team, which sells supplements. Approved for publication by the Full Measure owners. Updated .

Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed below. How we write these

Quick answer

Diarrhea has been reported at high amounts: 6 of 8 healthy adults taking 2,000 mg twice a day had it, and 30% of 40 women taking 1 g a day in a study without a placebo group did. NIH's LiverTox lists only minor stomach upset, nausea, headache and fatigue. Ask your doctor if gut symptoms continue.1,2,3

Key facts

  • LiverTox lists few side effects of resveratrol: minor stomach upset, nausea, headache and fatigue.3
  • In 40 healthy volunteers taking 0.5, 1, 2.5 or 5 g a day for 29 days, the 2.5 and 5 g amounts caused mild to moderate gut symptoms.4
  • At 2,000 mg twice a day, 6 of 8 healthy adults had diarrhea.1
  • In 40 postmenopausal women taking 1 g a day for 12 weeks, with no placebo group, diarrhea was the most common adverse event, affecting 30%.2
  • A 2024 systematic review of 10 randomized trials in older adults found that no study reported significant adverse events.5

What does NIH's liver database list as side effects of resveratrol?

LiverTox lists few side effects: minor stomach upset, nausea, headache and fatigue.3

LiverTox's summary says resveratrol has been associated with rare rises in liver enzymes during use but has not been convincingly linked to clinically apparent liver injury. The side effects in that list do not include diarrhea, while the reports of diarrhea come from studies at higher amounts.3

At what amounts has diarrhea been reported?

Studies that reported gut symptoms with resveratrol1,2,4
Amount a dayWho took itWhat was reported
2.5 g and 5 g for 29 days40 healthy volunteers across four amounts (0.5, 1, 2.5 and 5 g)Mild to moderate gut symptoms at 2.5 g and 5 g
4 g (2,000 mg twice a day)8 healthy adults, one group, no placeboDiarrhea in 6 of 8
1 g for 12 weeks40 postmenopausal women with a high body mass index, no placebo groupDiarrhea in 30%, the most common adverse event; 6 women stopped early because of adverse events

The abstracts we read describe no placebo group in any of these three studies, so they cannot say how much of the diarrhea came from resveratrol and how much from other causes. The 4 g study was in 8 people.1,2

Do lower amounts cause gut symptoms?

A 2024 systematic review of 10 randomized trials in older adults found that no study reported significant adverse events, though its abstract does not list individual symptoms. A Cochrane review of three small trials of 10 mg, 150 mg or 1,000 mg a day for 4 to 5 weeks, in 50 adults with type 2 diabetes, found that all three reported no adverse events. The Cochrane authors rated that evidence as very low quality and said research was insufficient to judge safety.5,6

The European Union allows synthetic trans-resveratrol in supplements for adults at up to 150 mg a day.7

What other effects do the same studies report?

Slight rises in liver enzymes at 1.5 to 3 g a day that returned to normal after stopping. LiverTox rates resveratrol an unlikely cause of liver injury and reports no published cases of serious liver injury.3

In 40 women past menopause taking 1 g a day for 12 weeks, in a study without a placebo group, six stopped early because of side effects. Diarrhea affected 30%, one woman had a severe rise in liver enzymes without symptoms, and two had severe rashes.2

Who should ask a doctor about resveratrol and gut symptoms?

  • Anyone whose diarrhea or stomach upset starts after beginning resveratrol and does not pass.3
  • Anyone with liver problems, because LiverTox reports rises in liver enzymes at 1.5 to 3 g a day.3
  • Anyone who takes a prescription medicine, because resveratrol slowed three liver enzymes that clear many medicines in healthy adults at 1 g a day.8
  • Anyone who takes a blood thinner, because LiverTox lists a possible interaction with anticoagulants.3
  • Anyone who is pregnant, nursing or under 18, because NIH says many supplements have not been well tested in those groups.9

Tell your doctor which product you take and how many milligrams a day, since the reports of diarrhea come from high amounts.1

Questions people ask

Does resveratrol cause diarrhea?

Diarrhea has been reported at high amounts. Six of 8 healthy adults taking 2,000 mg twice a day had diarrhea, and 30% of women taking 1 g a day did in a study with no placebo group. LiverTox lists only minor stomach upset and nausea among its few side effects.1,2,3

Does resveratrol cause headaches?

LiverTox lists headache among the few side effects reported with resveratrol, along with minor stomach upset, nausea and fatigue.3

Does resveratrol cause constipation?

The studies and summaries we read do not list constipation as a side effect, though most abstracts do not name individual symptoms. That is not a finding either way, so ask your doctor if a gut symptom starts or lasts.3,5

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Sources

  1. la Porte C, Voduc N, Zhang G, et al. Steady-State pharmacokinetics and tolerability of trans-resveratrol 2000 mg twice daily with food, quercetin and alcohol (ethanol) in healthy human subjects. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2010;49(7):449-454. Opened 2026-10-07.
  2. Chow HH, Garland LL, Heckman-Stoddard BM, et al. A pilot clinical study of resveratrol in postmenopausal women with high body mass index: effects on systemic sex steroid hormones. J Transl Med. 2014;12:223. Opened 2026-10-07.
  3. Resveratrol. In: LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; 2012-. Updated November 30, 2024. Opened 2026-10-01.
  4. Brown VA, Patel KR, Viskaduraki M, et al. Repeat dose study of the cancer chemopreventive agent resveratrol in healthy volunteers: safety, pharmacokinetics, and effect on the insulin-like growth factor axis. Cancer Res. 2010;70(22):9003-9011. Opened 2026-10-01.
  5. Yadegar S, Mohammadi F, Yadegar A, et al. Effects and safety of resveratrol supplementation in older adults: A comprehensive systematic review. Phytother Res. 2024;38(5):2448-2461. Opened 2026-10-11.
  6. Jeyaraman MM, Al-Yousif NSH, Singh Mann A, et al. Resveratrol for adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;1(1):CD011919. A Cochrane systematic review. Opened 2026-10-11.
  7. European Commission. Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2016/1190 of 19 July 2016 authorising the placing on the market of trans-resveratrol as a novel food ingredient under Regulation (EC) No 258/97. Official Journal of the European Union, L 196, 21.7.2016, p. 53. Opened 2026-10-07.
  8. Chow HH, Garland LL, Hsu CH, et al. Resveratrol modulates drug- and carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes in a healthy volunteer study. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2010;3(9):1168-1175. Opened 2026-10-01.
  9. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplements: What You Need To Know. Fact sheet for consumers. Updated January 4, 2023. Opened 2026-10-07.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.