The Benefits of Red Wine to the Liver

The benefits of red wine have been confusing. Wine contains the known liver toxin of alcohol, it is often consumed in social situations where connections are made or deepened, and then there’s the complication of all the phytonutrients found in grapes. Let’s take a moment and zero in on resveratrol, a polyphenol found in red wine. 

Resveratrol is the chemical credited, at least in part, for the “French Paradox”. That is, the fact that French people tend to live long, healthy lives despite a lifestyle that is rich in fatty food, alcohol, and smoking. Resveratrol has antioxidant activities, protecting cellular health in the face of free radicals.*  

While red wine is one source of this polyphenol, your liver would likely prefer you get resveratrol from non-alcohol sources. Resveratrol is also found in fresh grapes, blueberries, raspberries, or as a supplement. 

Resveratrol is a naturally-occurring, non-toxic compound found in a select few plant species. [1] Its function in the plants where it is found is as a phytoalexin, which means it is a compound synthesized in response to stress. [1]  

It is theorized that some of its plant-based functions are mirrored in its biological activity in humans. Cardiovascular and healthy aging have garnered the most attention in research.* [1,2]  

Another role for resveratrol is its support of healthy liver function.* In 2017, a meta-analysis of 9,268 resveratrol research studies reported that 742 of those had focused specifically on resveratrol’s role in liver health.* [1]  

A challenge for supplemental resveratrol has been the high solubility and low bioavailability of resveratrol. [2] It breaks down really quickly upon ingestion. By the time it gets from your mouth to the gut, very little is actually left to be absorbed into the circulation, compared to the amount you swallowed.  

To address this challenge, resveratrol can be formulated with piperine (a compound from black pepper). Piperine slows the breakdown, increase the absorption, and increase levels of resveratrol in the circulation (dose efficiency).* [3] 

Let’s start with fat (a.k.a. lipids). A healthy liver has a little bit of fat in it. However, when fat starts to make up more than 5% of your liver’s total weight, it’s a problem. Liver cells that take on too much fat no longer perform their other functions as effectively.* [5] 

Factors that seem to be important to maintaining liver health include healthy glucose metabolism, balanced cytokine responses, healthy lipid profile and maintaining healthy body weight and composition.* [5] As a greater number of people in the US struggle with maintaining healthy balance in these areas there has been a noticeable change in liver health across the population. 

Resveratrol appears to benefit liver health by supporting normal glucose metabolism within normal limits and an effect on liver fat as well as provides cellular protective antioxidant properties.* [4] 

The liver is the primary site of alcohol metabolism. This means that even though every organ in your body can be affected by excessive alcohol use, the liver is going to be the first to feel the effects. [6] Alcohol has several mechanisms by which it affects the liver including disrupting balanced blood glucose and healthy inflammatory balance. The effects of alcohol use can also affect the accumulation of fat in liver cells. [6] Basically, the effects of alcohol provide additional fuel to the fire when it comes to metabolism and liver health. 

Therefore, the same actions of resveratrol may continue to support liver health.*  Of course, we need to talk about the degree of these effects. Resveratrol supplementation cannot prevent or negate damage caused by heavy drinking. Even a few days of heavy drinking can alter the health and function of your liver.  

The amazing flip side is that the liver is regenerative as long as you don’t make heavy drinking a habit. A few days of detox can make a difference too. Perhaps, it would be better to consider resveratrol a great detox support supplement, when you are already making healthy choices about alcohol consumption. 

What is “safe” alcohol consumption? Well, having one resveratrol-containing glass of red wine (about 5 ounces) with dinner is probably a safe choice for the average female and males may be able to have 2 of those without more consequence. It’s not fair, but it’s biological. The male liver just makes more of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, which means they break alcohol down quicker, and suffer fewer negative effects than females. [7] 

So… back to the “benefits of red wine”. Yes, red wine is often the richest source of resveratrol in the diet, and resveratrol supports liver health.* [8] But, wine is also a source of alcohol, which damages liver health. No need to pour out your glass, just be reticent of moderation. 

In terms of clinically relevant doses, however, red wine contains about 1.8 mg resveratrol/L. [8] That amount translates to about 0.3 mg per glass of wine. In comparison, 1 capsule of Resveratrol with Piperine contains 200 mg resveratrol. The 200 mg serving is relevant to doses used in clinical trials, while the dose delivered by red wine is not.* [8]  

Together, these data indicate that resveratrol is likely supportive of many body systems, but wine probably isn’t the best source. You would have to drink so much wine to get clinically relevant doses of resveratrol that you would very likely do more harm than good to your liver (and other organs).  

A single resveratrol supplement delivers about 670x more resveratrol than your glass of wine without the insulting alcohol. 

Disclaimer:
The information provided is for educational purposes only. Consult your physician or healthcare practitioner if you have specific questions before instituting any changes in your daily lifestyle including changes in diet, exercise, and supplement use.

Laura Lewis is a clinical researcher and science communicator with a Master of Science degree and a background in nutrition science and integrative health. She brings a decade of experience translating complex clinical data into accessible insights for healthcare practitioners and patients alike.

Laura has contributed to educational programming and strategic content development across the integrative and functional medicine space. Her strengths lie in evidence synthesis, practitioner engagement, and crafting communications that bridge the gap between scientific rigor and real-world application. At ARG, Laura supports clinical content development and educational initiatives that elevate practitioner confidence and product credibility.