Introduction Cancer and its complications are considered a clinical problem all over the world and it is the second cause of death. Putting some food items in the diet has a preventive or therapeutic effect against cancer. Research has shown that substances such as resveratrol (3,5,4′-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene), which contains polyphenol compounds, are useful in the healing process of inflammatory diseases, including cancer. Therefore, we will examine resveratrol, which is a phytoestrogen. Resveratrol is a natural stilbene and a non-flavonoid polyphenol, that possesses anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, and anti-cancer properties. Methods By searching keywords such as the therapeutic effects of resveratrol and the effects of resveratrol in cancer in reliable databases such as Pubmed, Google Scholar, and Embase, the search was conducted and after studying and reviewing related 50 articles during the years 2016 to 2023, the desired information was obtained and presented in this review article. Results Resveratrol acts as an antioxidant and destroys free radicals from the body. Also, sensitizing cancer cells to chemotherapy agents, leads to a decrease in drug resistance and mutagenicity of cells in cancer. Conclusions Considering the various properties of resveratrol, it can be pointed out the positive effect of this substance in the improvement and prevention of diseases such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular problems. As a result, resveratrol needs more study and investigation.
