Pterostilbene

What it is

Like resveratrol, pterostilbene belongs to the group of stilbenes. The difference lies in two methoxy groups that are supposed to protect the molecule from rapid breakdown. One starting material for high-purity pterostilbene is the wood of the red sandalwood tree, Pterocarpus santalinus.

The blueberry is often named as a natural source. An analysis of berries from 10 Vaccinium species, however, found pterostilbene only in two varieties of rabbiteye blueberry and in one wild berry, in amounts of 99 to 520 nanograms per gram of dry matter. Resveratrol, by contrast, was present in all the species studied. Through berries you therefore take in pterostilbene only in traces.

How it is supposed to work

The narrative resembles that of resveratrol: pterostilbene is supposed to activate sirtuins and the enzyme AMPK, dampen inflammation, reduce oxidative stress and thus protect the brain, heart and metabolism. In cell cultures and animal models there are numerous indications of this, including on cancer cells and nerve protection. We did not find a human study that directly measures sirtuin or AMPK activation by pterostilbene.

The main argument for pterostilbene is absorption. In rats that received comparable amounts over 14 days, the oral bioavailability of pterostilbene was about 80 percent, that of resveratrol about 20 percent, and blood levels of pterostilbene and its breakdown products were considerably higher. Whether the same holds in humans has not been measured in a direct comparison.

In the longevity scene, pterostilbene is mainly taken together with NAD precursors such as nicotinamide riboside. Most of the more recent human studies test exactly this combination. How much of the result is attributable to the pterostilbene cannot be read from them.

Why we give no purchase recommendation

Pterostilbene is an interesting substance, and research on it is ongoing. For a recommendation, however, the evidence is insufficient for three reasons. First, high-purity pterostilbene is an unauthorized novel food in the EU. Second, the only larger study on pterostilbene alone shows, alongside falling blood pressure, a rising LDL value, that is, a signal in the wrong direction for exactly the organ system that is supposed to be protected. Third, there is no human study with clinical endpoints on the advertised longevity effects.

What the studies show

Blood pressure down, LDL up

Eighty adults with elevated cholesterol were divided into four groups: two pterostilbene doses, pterostilbene with grape extract, and placebo, for 6 to 8 weeks. Under pterostilbene alone, LDL cholesterol rose by 17.1 mg/dl, with grape extract it did not. The high dose lowered blood pressure clearly. Those who were already taking cholesterol-lowering drugs had a weaker LDL increase.

Combination with nicotinamide riboside

In 120 healthy people between 60 and 80 years of age, the NAD level in the blood rose by about 40 and 90 percent respectively after 4 weeks under a combination of nicotinamide riboside and pterostilbene, depending on the dose. There were no serious side effects. What share of this is attributable to the pterostilbene cannot be read from this study.

Fatty liver: target missed

In a six-month study with 111 people with fatty liver, the same combination did not lower the liver fat fraction, which was the primary endpoint. At the single dose, liver enzymes and a particular ceramide fell; at the double dose they did not. Another study with 32 older people found no better recovery after an artificially induced muscle injury.

Twelve weeks in healthy people

A Japanese pilot study gave 30 healthy men a low or higher amount of pterostilbene or placebo for 12 weeks. Mainly blood values and small regulatory molecules in the blood, so-called microRNAs, were measured. Two of them rose markedly in some of the participants; there were no side effects. What these changes mean for health is open.

Endometrial cancer, phase II

Forty-four patients received a hormone preparation with or without pterostilbene for 3 weeks before their surgery. For the primary endpoint, the growth marker Ki-67, there was no difference. Pterostilbene was well tolerated; one serious thromboembolism occurred in the pterostilbene arm and one case of severe high blood pressure in the control arm.

Where the data stop

For the advertised main effects, that is, protection of the brain and heart, slowing of aging and better blood glucose values, there is no human study with clinical endpoints. The sirtuin and AMPK story comes from cell and animal experiments, and the absorption advantage has only been measured in rats. The longest human data extend over 6 months and concern exclusively the combination with nicotinamide riboside.

The blood pressure effect rests on a single study that at the same time showed an increase in LDL. Which of the two effects ultimately weighs more for the heart and blood vessels is open. And among the combination studies, the fatty liver study missed its main endpoint, and the muscle study found no effect. On memory and concentration, we found not a single controlled human study with pterostilbene alone; the indications of nerve protection come from animal models and cell cultures.

Status, approval and legal

For high-purity pterostilbene of at least 99 percent purity from sandalwood, an inquiry to the Czech authority established that it is a novel food. There is no authorization as a novel food, and without this authorization a novel food may not be sold in the EU. There is also no approved medicine containing pterostilbene, which is why we give no dosage. Biohacking Kompakt as a matter of principle gives no purchase recommendation for pterostilbene. It is not on the WADA prohibited list for 2026.

Safety

In the short term, pterostilbene was well tolerated in studies; long-term data are lacking. The most important finding is the LDL increase of 17.1 mg/dl, which is unfavorable with elevated cholesterol. In the test tube, pterostilbene inhibited human platelets even at low concentrations; in a mouse model it prolonged the time to vessel occlusion. Caution is therefore advised together with anticoagulants. In liver cell components it also inhibited the enzyme CYP2C9, through which drugs such as the diabetes drug tolbutamide used in the study are broken down. Whether this is relevant in humans has not been studied. Because the higher dose clearly lowered blood pressure, the effect could add up with blood pressure medication; that has not been studied either. There are no data for pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Sources

• Riche et al., J Toxicol 2013 – safety in a clinical trial
• Riche et al., Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2014 – metabolic parameters
• Kapetanovic et al., Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2011 – bioavailability in rats
• Rimando et al., J Agric Food Chem 2004 – stilbenes in Vaccinium berries
• Dellinger et al., NPJ Aging Mech Dis 2017 – nicotinamide riboside plus pterostilbene
• Dellinger et al., Hepatology 2023 – combination in fatty liver
• Senguttuvan et al., Antioxidants 2025 – phase II in endometrial cancer
• Huang et al., Int J Mol Sci 2021 – pterostilbene and platelets
• Albassam et al., Pharmazie 2021 – inhibition of CYP enzymes
• European Commission – consultation process on novel food status