Resveratrol linked to longer female life across fly generations
In fruit flies, 50 micrograms per milliliter was associated with longer life in adult females and two subsequent female generations, but embryonic exposure shortened adult life.
Limit: Lifespan extension was limited to female flies and did not occur in males
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In an experiment in animals, researchers exposed fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) to 50 micrograms per milliliter of resveratrol during embryonic development or during adulthood. Giving the compound to embryos sped up development but shortened adult lifespan, accompanied by impaired antioxidant capacity and activation of juvenile hormone and insulin signaling. In contrast, supplementation in adult flies extended lifespan in females. This longevity was associated with enhanced stress responses, increased autophagy—a process cells use to clear damaged components—and suppressed mTOR signaling, a pathway that regulates cell growth. The longevity-promoting effects also coincided with broad reprogramming of energy metabolism and modifications to histones, the proteins that package DNA. Maternal exposure during adulthood was associated with extended lifespan in female offspring across two subsequent generations, alongside persistent metabolic and chromatin changes.
Why it matters
Studying how resveratrol affects development and lifespan touches on how the timing of an intervention shapes aging, and whether metabolic and chromatin regulation can pass longevity across generations.
Caveats
The abstract does not report the number of flies tested or the exact magnitude of the lifespan changes. In addition, the findings are in fruit flies, and the mechanisms may not apply to mammals or humans.
Resveratrol is part of David Sinclair's daily regimen in LifespanMore supplements
The paper
Universidade de Vigo; Universidad Europea del Atlántico
Phytomedicine, Jun 29, 2026
