{
  "dataset": "alpha-gpc-cost-by-brand",
  "title": "Alpha-GPC Supplements Compared — actual-mg disclosure, cost per actual mg, and the 50%-blend label trap",
  "sourcePage": "https://verifiedsupplementdata.com/alpha-gpc/best-overall/",
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licenseUrl": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "attribution": "Verified Supplement Data (2026), Alpha-GPC Cost Comparison",
  "dateModified": "2026-07-18",
  "methodology": "Alpha-GPC is most commonly sold industry-wide as a 50%-standardized powder on a carrier (mannitol/silica), because pure alpha-GPC is a hygroscopic oil that's difficult to encapsulate directly. Only Double Wood's own product page explicitly discloses this math: \"600mg of standardized Alpha GPC 50%\" per 2-capsule serving = 300mg ACTUAL alpha-GPC. NOW, Nutricost, Sports Research, and Jarrow each print a single \"Alpha-GPC Xmg\" figure WITHOUT disclosing whether that is raw-material weight (of which only ~50% may be actual alpha-GPC) or actual-compound weight — this is a category-wide transparency gap, not a single-brand accusation; there is no COA data proving underdosing, only an absence-of-disclosure finding. costPerActualMg = price / (servings x DISCLOSED actual alpha-GPC mg) — computed ONLY for the disclosed product; null for the other four, because the actual mg is UNKNOWABLE from the label, not merely omitted. SAFETY CONTEXT (essential, not optional): Lee et al. 2021 (JAMA Network Open, PMID 34817582, N=12,008,977 South Korean adults, 10-year follow-up) found alpha-GPC use associated with a significantly higher total stroke risk (adjusted HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.43-1.48) in a dose-response pattern. This is OBSERVATIONAL data — an association, not proven causation, and the authors do not establish a confirmed mechanism — but it is real, large, peer-reviewed, and omitted from most retail marketing for this ingredient. EVIDENCE CONTEXT: most positive cognition evidence (De Jesus Moreno Moreno 2003 PMID 12637119, Sagaro 2023 PMID 36683513, Barbagallo Sangiorgi 1994 PMID 8030842) is in DISEASE populations (dementia, stroke/TIA, mild cognitive impairment) at PRESCRIPTION doses (often 1,200mg/day, i.e. choline alfoscerate) — not healthy-adult \"focus\" evidence. Sports-performance evidence (Bellar 2015 PMID 26582972, Marcus 2017 PMID 29042830, Kerksick 2024 PMID 39683633) is small, short, and mostly college-age or recreationally-trained men; Kerksick 2024's lead author is a paid scientific advisor to NNB Nutrition, the study sponsor — disclosed here as required every time that trial is cited. Growth-hormone-spike claims have no proven downstream benefit: the best indexed RCT on the question (Kerksick 2024) found NO significant GH difference. This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA; these products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.",
  "headline": {
    "productsCompared": 5,
    "disclosed": 1,
    "undisclosed": 4,
    "trialLowMg": 250,
    "trialHighMg": 630,
    "prescriptionDoseMg": 1200,
    "disclosureLeaderBrand": "Double Wood",
    "disclosureLeaderCostPerActualMg": 0.0022,
    "cheapestByServingBrand": "NOW Foods",
    "strokeRiskCitation": "Lee 2021, JAMA Network Open, PMID 34817582: aHR 1.46 (95% CI 1.43-1.48) for total stroke, N=12,008,977, observational, dose-response pattern. Association, not proven causation.",
    "note": "Ranked by disclosed actual alpha-GPC mg FIRST, then cost per actual mg — never by label mg alone or by commissions. Only 1 of 5 tracked products discloses actual alpha-GPC mg."
  },
  "columns": [
    "brand",
    "product",
    "slug",
    "form",
    "labelMgPerServing",
    "actualAlphaGpcMgPerServing",
    "servings",
    "price",
    "costPerServing",
    "costPerDay",
    "costPerActualMg",
    "verdict",
    "thirdParty"
  ],
  "units": {
    "labelMgPerServing": "mg Alpha-GPC (label figure)",
    "actualAlphaGpcMgPerServing": "mg actual alpha-GPC (disclosed)",
    "price": "USD",
    "costPerServing": "USD/serving",
    "costPerDay": "USD/day",
    "costPerActualMg": "USD per mg of actual alpha-GPC"
  },
  "citations": [
    {
      "claim": "RCT n=13 college-age males, crossover, 600mg/day x 6 days: lower-body isometric mid-thigh-pull peak force significantly increased vs placebo (p=0.044); upper-body trended but did not reach significance (p=0.127).",
      "source": "Bellar D, et al. 2015, J Int Soc Sports Nutr",
      "pmid": "26582972"
    },
    {
      "claim": "RCT n=48 healthy college-age males, 4 arms (250mg/500mg A-GPC/caffeine/placebo), 7 days: 250mg arm (not 500mg) showed greatest countermovement-jump power gain; NO significant isometric-strength or vigilance differences. Non-dose-dependent result — do not imply more A-GPC = more power.",
      "source": "Marcus L, et al. 2017, J Int Soc Sports Nutr",
      "pmid": "29042830"
    },
    {
      "claim": "RCT n=20 resistance-trained men, crossover, single acute doses 315mg vs 630mg vs placebo: 630mg significantly improved Stroop-test score (p=0.013); NO effect on Flanker/N-Back, physical performance, or growth hormone. Lead author is a paid scientific advisor to NNB Nutrition, the study sponsor — disclosed every citation.",
      "source": "Kerksick CM, et al. 2024, Nutrients",
      "pmid": "39683633"
    },
    {
      "claim": "Retrospective cohort, N=12,008,977 South Korean adults, 10-year follow-up: alpha-GPC use associated with significantly higher total stroke risk (adjusted HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.43-1.48), dose-response by cumulative use. Observational — association, not proven causation; no confirmed mechanism established.",
      "source": "Lee G, et al. 2021, JAMA Network Open",
      "pmid": "34817582"
    },
    {
      "claim": "RCT n=261 mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's dementia patients, choline alfoscerate 400mg TID (1,200mg/day) x 180 days: ADAS-Cog improved significantly vs placebo. DISEASE-population, PRESCRIPTION-dose trial — not healthy-adult \"focus\" evidence.",
      "source": "De Jesus Moreno Moreno C. 2003, Clinical Therapeutics",
      "pmid": "12637119"
    },
    {
      "claim": "Open-label (not placebo-controlled), n=2,044 patients with recent stroke/TIA, 6 months: Mini-Mental State score improved 21 to 24.3; adverse events in only 2.14%. Largest safety-volume dataset in this pack; weaker design than the controlled trials.",
      "source": "Barbagallo Sangiorgi G, et al. 1994, Ann NY Acad Sci",
      "pmid": "8030842"
    }
  ],
  "products": [
    {
      "brand": "Double Wood",
      "product": "Supplements Alpha-GPC",
      "slug": "double-wood-alpha-gpc-600mg",
      "form": "Capsule",
      "labelMgPerServing": 600,
      "actualAlphaGpcMgPerServing": 300,
      "servings": 30,
      "price": 19.95,
      "costPerServing": 0.66,
      "costPerDay": 0.67,
      "costPerActualMg": 0.0022,
      "verdict": "disclosed-actual-mg",
      "thirdParty": "Brand discloses 50%-standardized raw material on its own product page (brand claim; not independently lab-verified this session)",
      "priceNote": "The only product in this comparison whose brand page explicitly discloses the 50%-standardized-powder math: 600mg labeled 'Alpha GPC 50%' = 300mg ACTUAL alpha-GPC per 2-capsule serving."
    },
    {
      "brand": "NOW Foods",
      "product": "NOW Supplements Alpha-GPC 300 mg",
      "slug": "now-alpha-gpc-300mg",
      "form": "Capsule",
      "labelMgPerServing": 300,
      "actualAlphaGpcMgPerServing": null,
      "servings": 60,
      "price": 23.49,
      "costPerServing": 0.39,
      "costPerDay": 0.39,
      "costPerActualMg": null,
      "verdict": "undisclosed-blend-pct",
      "thirdParty": "Not independently verified this session (no live label/COA check)",
      "priceNote": "Labeled 300mg Alpha-GPC; raw-material concentration (roughly 99% vs a 50%-standardized blend) is not disclosed on the label, so actual alpha-GPC content is unknowable from the label alone."
    },
    {
      "brand": "Sports Research",
      "product": "Alpha GPC 630 mg (Extra Strength)",
      "slug": "sports-research-alpha-gpc-630mg",
      "form": "Liquid capsule",
      "labelMgPerServing": 630,
      "actualAlphaGpcMgPerServing": null,
      "servings": 60,
      "price": 26.95,
      "costPerServing": 0.45,
      "costPerDay": 0.45,
      "costPerActualMg": null,
      "verdict": "undisclosed-blend-pct",
      "thirdParty": "Not independently verified this session (no live label/COA check)",
      "priceNote": "630mg labeled per liquid capsule — the closest label match to Kerksick 2024's 630mg high-dose trial arm. Raw-material concentration not disclosed, so it's unclear whether 630mg is the actual alpha-GPC content or a blend weight."
    },
    {
      "brand": "Nutricost",
      "product": "Alpha GPC 600 mg",
      "slug": "nutricost-alpha-gpc-600mg",
      "form": "Capsule",
      "labelMgPerServing": 600,
      "actualAlphaGpcMgPerServing": null,
      "servings": 30,
      "price": 14.95,
      "costPerServing": 0.5,
      "costPerDay": 0.5,
      "costPerActualMg": null,
      "verdict": "undisclosed-blend-pct",
      "thirdParty": "Not independently verified this session (no live label/COA check)",
      "priceNote": "Cheapest product tracked here by label mg — 300mg/capsule (600mg per 2-capsule serving). Raw-material concentration not disclosed, so actual alpha-GPC content is unknowable from the label."
    },
    {
      "brand": "Jarrow Formulas",
      "product": "Alpha GPC 300 mg",
      "slug": "jarrow-alpha-gpc-300mg",
      "form": "Capsule",
      "labelMgPerServing": 300,
      "actualAlphaGpcMgPerServing": null,
      "servings": 60,
      "price": 33.94,
      "costPerServing": 0.57,
      "costPerDay": 0.57,
      "costPerActualMg": null,
      "verdict": "undisclosed-blend-pct",
      "thirdParty": "Not independently verified this session (no live label/COA check)",
      "priceNote": "The most expensive product tracked here per label mg. Raw-material concentration not disclosed, so actual alpha-GPC content is unknowable from the label."
    }
  ]
}