James_Miller comments on Resveratrol continues to be useless - Less Wrong

6 Post author: gwern 10 October 2010 12:19AM

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Comment author: James_Miller 10 October 2010 02:27:29AM 2 points [-]

Is there a non-trivial chance that taking Resveratrol could damage your health?

Comment author: gwern 10 October 2010 03:37:18AM *  1 point [-]

Well, of course there is, by this community's standards. (Look at the safety concerns raised over melatonin*!)

Is it poison? Probably not. There are sporadic small human studies, and there's general considerations like researchers being drawn to resveratrol because of longevity benefits in populations, which would be inconsistent with it being dangerous.

If I may extrapolate, you are asking 'is the expected utility of resveratrol supplements positive?' The answer is probably yes, but the effect is so small (and resveratrol so expensive) that just about anything would offer better marginal gains. Fish oil or vitamin D, for example.

* no, I'm not bitter - more bemused