{
  "dataset": "bromelain-cost-by-brand",
  "title": "Bromelain Supplements Compared — cost per serving AND cost per 1,000 GDU (activity units, not just mg)",
  "sourcePage": "https://verifiedsupplementdata.com/bromelain/best-overall/",
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licenseUrl": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "attribution": "Verified Supplement Data (2026), Bromelain Cost Comparison",
  "dateModified": "2026-07-19",
  "methodology": "Bromelain potency is measured in activity units (GDU, MCU, or FIP), not milligrams — identical 500mg labels in this comparison carry 1,200-3,000 GDU, a 2.5x spread at the same label weight. costPerServing = price / servings. costPer1000Gdu = (price / (servings x disclosed GDU per serving)) x 1000, computed ONLY for products that disclose an activity-unit figure — ranking by cost-per-serving alone (mg-only) can favor a lower-potency product over a cheaper-per-activity-unit one. One tracked product (Life Extension Specially-Coated Bromelain) discloses mg but NOT GDU or any other activity-unit figure on its listing — a real labeling gap, flagged and excluded from the cost-per-1000-GDU ranking, not silently treated as comparable. One tracked product (Doctor's Best Quercetin Bromelain) is a COMBINATION product (quercetin + bromelain, not pure bromelain) — listed separately, never folded into the pure-bromelain ranking. Cost figures assume 1 label serving/day at 500mg; readers targeting trial-supported doses (800mg Brien 2006, 1000mg Majid 2014/Bormann 2016) need 1.5-2x servings/day. This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA; these products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.",
  "headline": {
    "productsCompared": 6,
    "pureGduDisclosedCount": 4,
    "comboCount": 1,
    "gduLow": 1200,
    "gduHigh": 3000,
    "gduSpreadMultiple": 2.5,
    "bestValuePerGduBrand": "NOW Foods Bromelain",
    "bestValuePerGduCostPer1000Gdu": 0.0872,
    "cheapestPerServingBrand": "Nutricost Bromelain 500mg",
    "cheapestPerServingCost": 0.14,
    "highestPotencyBrand": "Doctor's Best 3000 GDU Bromelain",
    "highestPotencyGdu": 3000,
    "note": "The cheapest product per serving is not automatically the best value — rank by cost per 1,000 GDU when the figure is available, since two 500mg products can carry meaningfully different proteolytic activity."
  },
  "columns": [
    "brand",
    "product",
    "slug",
    "form",
    "mgPerServing",
    "gduPerServing",
    "servings",
    "price",
    "costPerServing",
    "costPer1000Gdu",
    "verdict",
    "thirdParty"
  ],
  "units": {
    "mgPerServing": "mg bromelain",
    "gduPerServing": "GDU (Gelatin Digesting Units)",
    "price": "USD",
    "costPerServing": "USD/serving",
    "costPer1000Gdu": "USD per 1,000 GDU of disclosed activity"
  },
  "citations": [
    {
      "claim": "Meta-analysis of 6 RCTs: oral bromelain significantly reduced facial swelling at early (P=.03) and late (P=.0004) timepoints and pain at the late/day-7 timepoint (P=.002) after mandibular third molar surgery, but found no apparent effect on early or late trismus.",
      "source": "Liu et al. 2019, J Oral Maxillofac Surg",
      "pmid": "30986376"
    },
    {
      "claim": "RDBPC pilot, n=47 randomized/31 completed, bromelain alone 800mg/day x 12 weeks for knee osteoarthritis: primary WOMAC endpoint NOT met (P=0.27).",
      "source": "Brien et al. 2006, QJM",
      "pmid": "17121765"
    },
    {
      "claim": "RDBPC trial, n=150, enzyme COMBINATION (bromelain+trypsin+rutin, Wobenzym-type), primary Lequesne pain endpoint MET, comparable to diclofenac, both significantly better than placebo (P<0.05).",
      "source": "Bolten et al. 2015, Arthritis",
      "pmid": "25802756"
    },
    {
      "claim": "Open-label pilot, n=12 chronic rhinosinusitis patients, ~3000 FIP/day x 3 months: symptom and quality-of-life scores improved on average; no control arm.",
      "source": "Büttner et al. 2013, B-ENT",
      "pmid": "24273953"
    }
  ],
  "products": [
    {
      "brand": "Nutricost",
      "product": "Bromelain 500mg",
      "slug": "nutricost-bromelain-500mg-1200gdu",
      "form": "pure",
      "mgPerServing": 500,
      "gduPerServing": 1200,
      "servings": 120,
      "price": 16.95,
      "costPerServing": 0.14,
      "costPer1000Gdu": 0.1177,
      "verdict": "pure-gdu-disclosed",
      "thirdParty": "None claimed"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Doctor's Best",
      "product": "Quercetin Bromelain",
      "slug": "doctors-best-quercetin-bromelain-combo",
      "form": "combo",
      "mgPerServing": 250,
      "gduPerServing": null,
      "servings": 180,
      "price": 29.99,
      "costPerServing": 0.17,
      "costPer1000Gdu": null,
      "verdict": "combo-not-ranked",
      "thirdParty": "None claimed"
    },
    {
      "brand": "NOW Foods",
      "product": "Bromelain",
      "slug": "now-foods-bromelain-500mg-2400gdu",
      "form": "pure",
      "mgPerServing": 500,
      "gduPerServing": 2400,
      "servings": 120,
      "price": 25.12,
      "costPerServing": 0.21,
      "costPer1000Gdu": 0.0872,
      "verdict": "pure-gdu-disclosed",
      "thirdParty": "None claimed"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Life Extension",
      "product": "Specially-Coated Bromelain",
      "slug": "life-extension-bromelain-500mg-coated",
      "form": "pure-gdu-undisclosed",
      "mgPerServing": 500,
      "gduPerServing": null,
      "servings": 60,
      "price": 15.75,
      "costPerServing": 0.26,
      "costPer1000Gdu": null,
      "verdict": "pure-gdu-undisclosed",
      "thirdParty": "None claimed"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Doctor's Best",
      "product": "3000 GDU Bromelain",
      "slug": "doctors-best-bromelain-500mg-3000gdu",
      "form": "pure",
      "mgPerServing": 500,
      "gduPerServing": 3000,
      "servings": 90,
      "price": 27.99,
      "costPerServing": 0.31,
      "costPer1000Gdu": 0.1037,
      "verdict": "pure-gdu-disclosed",
      "thirdParty": "None claimed"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Pure Encapsulations",
      "product": "Bromelain 2400",
      "slug": "pure-encapsulations-bromelain-500mg-2400",
      "form": "pure",
      "mgPerServing": 500,
      "gduPerServing": 2400,
      "servings": 60,
      "price": 40,
      "costPerServing": 0.67,
      "costPer1000Gdu": 0.2778,
      "verdict": "pure-gdu-disclosed",
      "thirdParty": "None claimed"
    }
  ]
}