Urolithin A · dosing
Urolithin A dosage: 500 mg, 1,000 mg, and nothing else tested
Every urolithin A dosage with human data behind it sits at 500 mg or 1,000 mg daily, given for 4 weeks to 4 months. This is one of the few longevity supplements where product doses match trial doses, which makes the question simple and easy to get wrong by improvising.
What doses of urolithin A have been studied in humans?
Early / mixed evidence Only two daily amounts have human data, 500 mg and 1,000 mg, given for 28 days to 4 months.[1] [2] Two human trials define every urolithin A dosage with evidence behind it, and they differ in length, population and result.
The first-in-human study
The first-in-human study gave healthy older adults single doses and then repeated daily doses for 28 days (per the Andreux 2019 study), including 500 mg and 1,000 mg arms.[1] It reported good tolerability and changes in mitochondrial gene expression and plasma biomarkers. Its authors were affiliated with the company that sells the compound.
The four-month trial
The ENERGIZE trial randomized 66 older adults (per the 2022 ENERGIZE report) to 1,000 mg daily or placebo for 4 months.[2] Both primary endpoints, 6-minute walk distance and maximal ATP production, showed no significant treatment effect.
Secondary endpoints were more encouraging. Muscle endurance improved at 2 months, and plasma acylcarnitines, ceramides and C-reactive protein moved in a favorable direction.[2]
Show the numbers as a table
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| First-in-human, 28 days | 500 mg/day |
| First-in-human, 28 days | 1,000 mg/day |
| ENERGIZE, 4 months | 1,000 mg/day |
A systematic review of the human literature confirms that this is the studied range, and that the healthspan impact remains unestablished at any dose.[3] So the honest answer to how much urolithin a to take, if you take it at all, is the amount a trial gave.
Do product doses match the trial doses?
Largely yes, which is rare: most supplement categories have a wide gap between trial doses and product doses. This one does not, largely because the ingredient is patented and the company that ran the trials also sells it. Whatever else that arrangement does, it has kept the label honest about quantity.
The practical consequence is unusual: a studied urolithin A dosage is easy to match from a label, and taking anything else discards the only real advantage this compound has over its competitors.
Why a matching label is not proof of benefit
The same arrangement is also a reason for caution. The trials that fixed these numbers were run or funded by the seller, so the doses are well defined while the size of the benefit still deserves independent confirmation.
Can you get a trial dose of urolithin A from food?
No, because the compound is not in food: pomegranates, walnuts, strawberries and raspberries supply ellagitannins, and gut bacteria convert those into urolithin A at rates that vary substantially between people.[4] A company-affiliated review is the source of the often repeated figure that only about 40% of people convert these precursors efficiently.[4]
I can drink six glasses of juice, my body just refuses to make urolithin.
So there is no dietary equivalent of 500 mg. Eating pomegranate is good for other reasons and is not a route to a specific dose of this metabolite. That is the clearest legitimate argument for the supplement existing.
When, and for how long, did trials give it?
Trials dosed once daily with a meal, for 28 days to 4 months (per the Andreux 2019 study and the 2022 ENERGIZE report). None of the alternatives has been compared: not evening dosing, not fasted dosing, not splitting the dose. Following the trial conditions is the defensible default.
- Frequency: once daily, as in both trials.
- With food: the trial condition; the alternative is untested.
- Length: 28 days for biomarkers (per the Andreux 2019 study), 4 months for function.
Duration matters more than most people expect. Biomarker changes appeared first, and the endurance signal in the longer trial showed at 2 months, not 2 weeks. Judging the supplement after three weeks is judging it before the studies would have found anything.
Show the numbers as a table
| When | Event | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Daily dosing starts | 500 or 1,000 mg |
| Day 28 | Biomarker changes | First-in-human study |
| Month 2 | Endurance improves | ENERGIZE secondary |
| Month 4 | Trial ends | Primary endpoints missed |
Is 1,000 mg better than 500 mg?
Neither dose was shown superior for a meaningful outcome, though both produced measurable changes. Some biomarker responses looked dose-dependent, which predicts more of the marker at 1,000 mg rather than more benefit.
It is worth keeping the size of the underlying effect in view while choosing between them. Reviews describe effects on inflammation and muscle performance that are real and modest.[5] Doubling the dose of a modest effect gives you, at best, a slightly less modest one.
What the systematic review adds on dose
A systematic review of human trials found potential effects on inflammation and on muscle strength and endurance within the studied range, and no established impact on healthspan.[3] Those findings come from the same 500 mg to 1,000 mg range the two trials used.
- Below 500 mg: no trial outcome data in the cited literature.
- 500 mg to 1,000 mg: the tested range, with modest measured effects.
- Above 1,000 mg: untested for benefit, so any extra effect is a guess.
Is urolithin A safe at 500 mg and 1,000 mg?
Tolerability in the trials was good at both amounts, with no serious adverse events reported. Institutional summaries treat the compound as investigational rather than established, which is the correct posture for this evidence base.[6]
What is missing matters as much as what was found:
- no evidence in pregnancy or breastfeeding;
- no interaction data with common prescription medicines;
- no data beyond 4 months of continuous use.
None of that is alarming and all of it belongs in the decision. Anyone taking prescription medication should mention the supplement to their prescriber before starting.
What is the sensible position on urolithin A dosage?
To treat 500 mg and 1,000 mg daily, for 28 days to 4 months, as the only amounts with human data, and to recognize that anything else sits outside the evidence.[1] [2] This page reports what trials used; it is not a personal dose recommendation.
No trial ran past four months, so no data describe a year of daily use at either amount. Improvising a different urolithin A dosage throws away the one advantage this compound has and leaves an expensive capsule and a mechanism, the mitochondrial hallmark of aging it targets.
- Effect sizes: our page on what those trials actually found.
- Labels: our review of urolithin A products covers what to check.
- Alternatives: the wider supplement review puts it in context.
Frequently asked questions
What happens after 4 months of daily use?
Nobody knows. The longest trial ran 4 months (per the 2022 ENERGIZE report), so continuous use beyond that is untested for both benefit and safety, and any claim about long-term use is an extrapolation.
Could a prescription medicine change how it works?
It has not been studied. The trials report no interaction data with common prescription medicines, which is a gap rather than a reassurance, and why anyone taking one should mention the supplement to their prescriber before starting.
How much pomegranate would give the same amount?
You cannot reliably get there through food, and that is the honest core of the product's existence. Pomegranate and walnuts supply ellagitannins, and whether your gut bacteria convert them into meaningful urolithin A varies between individuals.
How long before urolithin A works?
The trials reporting effects ran four months. Biomarker changes appeared earlier than functional ones. Anything noticed in the first fortnight is unlikely to be this compound.
Should it be taken with food?
Trials generally administered it with a meal, and no study has compared taking it with or without food. Following the trial condition is the defensible default when nobody has tested the alternative.
Does urolithin A dosage depend on body weight?
No human study has established weight-based dosing. The trials used fixed doses of 500 mg and 1,000 mg regardless of body size.
Is there an upper limit?
None has been established. Trials at 1,000 mg daily over months reported good tolerability and no serious adverse events, and no study has tested higher doses for longer.
Do I need to test whether I am a converter?
Tests exist and no established action follows from the result. If you are taking the compound directly, your conversion capacity is irrelevant, since the supplement bypasses the step entirely.
Should it be cycled?
No cycling schedule has been studied. Trials dosed continuously for four months, which is the only pattern with evidence behind it.
Can it be stacked with other supplements?
There is no comparative data on any combination. Stacking with creatine or protein is common among people taking it for muscle reasons, and creatine has considerably stronger evidence for that purpose on its own.
Who should not take it?
Anyone pregnant or breastfeeding, on the basis of absent evidence. Anyone on prescription medication should mention it, since interactions have not been studied.
Does a higher dose speed things up?
Nothing suggests it does. The functional endpoints in the trials took months at both doses, and there is no evidence that a larger amount shortens that.
Are the doses in products consistent with the trials?
Most branded products supply the trial doses, which is unusual in this category and reflects that the ingredient is patented and sold by the company that ran the studies. Generic versions vary more and are worth checking.
What is the sensible position on dosing?
Use a trial dose or do not bother. Since the only reason to take this compound is that human trials measured something, taking an amount those trials did not test discards the single advantage it has over the rest of the shelf.
References
6 sources, all link-checked; oldest check
- The mitophagy activator urolithin A is safe and induces a molecular signature of improved mitochondrial and cellular health in humans. Andreux PA et al. Nature Metabolism 2019;1:595–603.First-in-human; authors affiliated with Amazentis (Timeline); note conflict.Verified Sep 15, 2026
- Effect of urolithin A supplementation on muscle endurance and mitochondrial health in older adults: a randomized clinical trial. Liu S et al. JAMA Network Open 2022;5(1):e2144279 (ENERGIZE; cited 249).66 older adults, 1,000 mg/day for 4 months. Both primary endpoints missed: 6-minute walk distance and maximal ATP production showed no significant treatment effect. Secondary endpoints positive: muscle endurance at 2 months, plasma acylcarnitines, ceramides and C-reactive protein all improved.Publisher blocks automated checks · last tried Sep 15, 2026
- Targeting aging with urolithin A in humans: a systematic review. Kuerec AH et al. Ageing Research Reviews 2024 (cited 84).Systematic review of human trials; potential effects on inflammation, muscle strength and endurance, with impact on healthspan not established.Publisher blocks automated checks · last tried Sep 15, 2026
- Impact of the natural compound urolithin A on health, disease and aging. D'Amico D et al. Trends in Molecular Medicine 2021 (cited 475).Review by authors affiliated with the company commercializing the compound; source of the widely repeated claim that only about 40% of people convert dietary precursors efficiently.Publisher blocks automated checks · last tried Sep 15, 2026
- Pharmacological effects of urolithin A and its role in muscle health and performance. Zhao H et al. 2023 (cited 77).Review of the mechanism and muscle-performance literature.Verified Sep 15, 2026
- Definition of urolithin A supplement. NCI Drug Dictionary, National Cancer Institute.Neutral government definition: a dietary supplement that may modulate mitochondrial activity, with potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.Verified Sep 15, 2026
Every link above is re-requested on a schedule by an automated checker; the date shown is when it last answered. Publishers that block automated requests are marked as such rather than reported broken. Our editorial standards explain how a source gets cited here in the first place.
Filed by the Rapamycin.store evidence desk. Each source is re-checked when the page is reviewed.
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