Resveratrol is a polyphenolic flavonoid found in a diversity of plants, especially berry fruits and is a popular nutritional supplement. It is known to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic properties. Recently, additional evidence has been found that resveratrol is beneficial to metabolic and cardiovascular health and may increase the life expectancy of various organisms. These biological effects are widely believed to be due to the ability of resveratrol to activate silent mating-type information regulation 2 homolog 1, a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent deacetylase. However, other research has shown that 5'-adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase and not silent mating-type information regulation 2 homolog 1 may be the target of resveratrol. A recent study reported that resveratrol directly inhibits cyclic adenosine monophosphate-specific phosphodiesterases and then activates 5'-adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase. Therefore, the mechanism underlying the diverse nutritional and therapeutic activities of resveratrol needs to be further explored. Furthermore, the optimal dose and possible adverse effects of resveratrol in humans are completely clear. The purpose of this review is to present some of the newly discovered biological effects of resveratrol, including autophagy and stem cell regulation, and research opportunities for the application of resveratrol in cardiovascular and metabolic health. Described herein is the recent understanding of the mechanism of action of resveratrol and future research directions to ascertain the potential of this flavonoid that is present in food.
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