Since widely publicized research showed that a compound called resveratrol — most famously found in red wine — could lengthen your life, the superstar compound has been turning up everywhere. There’s now an avalanche of pills, powders, skin creams, and even — get this — supplements for your dog. At prices that top $75 a bottle, these wallet-busting potions promise super longevity, based on lab studies in which lucky worms, fruit flies, fish, and mice did, indeed, enjoy longer, friskier lives after eating chow laced with resveratrol. Trouble is, there’s no proof that popping massive doses will extend your life, or Spot’s.

Someday, this impressive compound — found naturally in foods including peanuts and blueberries as well as red wine (and in a plant called knotweed) — could become a drug or supplement capable of stopping the aging clock and, while it’s at it, cutting your risk for cancer and heart disease.

Like mothers of twin toddlers, resveratrol is an astonishing multitasker. In test-tube studies, it revs up enzymes called sirtuins, which regulate aging and could help you beat the clock. In animal studies, resveratrol discourages the development of cancers of the colon, breast, intestine, and esophagus. And it protects your heart by discouraging blood clotting, keeping artery walls flexible and squelching inflammation. This sirtuin activation does the same thing as calorie restriction in animal studies: You live the equivalent of 50% longer with the same quality of life.

Sounds convincing. But despite the hype, this supplement’s just not ready to leap from the lab to your medicine cabinet. First and foremost, the animal studies used huge doses. You’d have to drink 180 to 1,500 bottles of red wine a day to get the levels that help lab mice. Second, no one really knows quite how much it would take to get similar effects in humans. Then there’s safety. Among the concerns: Resveratrol slows how fast your liver breaks down common drugs, including some statins, erectile dysfunction meds, calcium channel blockers, and some immune system suppressants. That could dangerously screw up the doses. And there’s some evidence that resveratrol may activate estrogen receptors on cells, spelling trouble for women with a history of estrogen-sensitive tumors (often breast, ovarian, and uterine).

Another big issue is a practical one: We have quality concerns about resveratrol supplements. In one analysis, 3 of 19 brands contained far less than their labels promised. It’s not clear that any of the supplements are made in an oxygen-free environment, which is critical to preserving supplements’ potency (you’d have to buy nitrogen-wrapped, single-pill foil wraps to get the active compound).

So why do you keep seeing Mehmet’s image on resveratrol ads? Unfortunately, several companies are attempting to deceive consumers through the unauthorized use of our images or names; our attorneys are pursuing those making these false claims.

For now, for so many good reasons, we’d rather sip a rich, red pinot noir or munch a handful of peanuts to get our resveratrol, and we think you should, too. Some of the highest concentrations are found in the skins of grapes; that’s why dark red wines (pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel) have the highest levels. White wines have the least because skins are removed earlier in the fermentation process.

Don’t drink? Chill and munch half a cup of red grapes (not green) every day. Snack on peanuts and peanut butter. And there’s no need to pour red wine on your cornflakes. Sprinkle on some blueberries (or cranberries; they have some resveratrol, too). When summer’s fresh berries are just a memory, blend frozen berries into smoothies or throw some into muffin mix.

And don’t get hung up on resveratrol. Other powerful ways to add years to your life include regular exercise (at least 30 minutes a day); relaxing to reduce chronic stress (a Major Ager that zaps energy, raises blood sugar, and boosts heart disease risk); getting 7 to 8 hours of good sleep every night (burning the candle at both ends encourages diabetes, heart disease, and overeating); and maintaining a healthy waistline.

And be sure to share that red wine or bunch of juicy grapes with your sweetheart (pop them into each other’s mouth). Fun, romance, and intimacy can make life longer andzingier — something no pill, as of now, can deliver. But stay tuned: There may be a future in sirtuin analogs, which do the same thing as resveratrol in animal studies. Look for more data on sirtuins this fall.

Authors: Mehmet Oz,MD and Michael Roizen,MD