Resveratrol May Mildly Improve Renal Function in the General Adult Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials

Whether renal health biomarkers can benefit from resveratrol supplements is unknown. Thus, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize evidence from randomized controlled trials investigating the effect of resveratrol supplementation on renal health biomarkers. We hypothesized that resveratrol supplementation is associated with improved renal health biomarkers. Four electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Science, and Cochrane central, were searched for relevant articles up to February 2023. The pooled effect sizes were estimated using a random effects model and expressed as weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). In total, 32 articles were eligible for inclusion in the current meta-analysis. The pooled results indicated that resveratrol significantly decreased BUN (weighted mean difference [WMD]= -0.84 mg/dl, 95% CI: -1.48, -0.20; P= 0.01; I2= 64.4%) and creatinine levels (WMD= -1.90 μmol/L, 95% CI: -3.59, -0.21; P= 0.03; I2= 52.1%), and increased GFR (WMD= 7.58 mL/min/1.73 m2, 95% CI: 5.25, 9.91; P< 0.001; I2= 0%). The favorable change of BUN was significant in studies with short follow-up duration (12 weeks or less), with lower doses of resveratrol (less than 500 mg/day), and those conducted in patients with diabetes. However, higher doses of resveratrol are needed to observe significant reductions in creatinine. No significant change was observed in albumin, total protein, and uric acid concentrations. This meta-analysis provides a low certainty of evidence indicating a mild renal protective effect of resveratrol in adults. Further high-quality evidence in patients with impaired renal function, and estimates of mortality risk in these patients is required before resveratrol can be advocated as an adjuvant therapy.