{
  "dataset": "phosphatidylserine-cost-by-brand",
  "title": "Phosphatidylserine Supplements Compared — cost per mg, source (soy/sunflower/undisclosed), and branded vs generic raw material",
  "sourcePage": "https://verifiedsupplementdata.com/phosphatidylserine/best-overall/",
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licenseUrl": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "attribution": "Verified Supplement Data (2026), Phosphatidylserine Cost Comparison",
  "dateModified": "2026-07-18",
  "methodology": "All six products here disclose actual phosphatidylserine (PS) mg directly on the label, so cost per mg is a computable, honest comparison: costPerMg = price / (servings x mg per serving). costAtCognitionDose = costPerMg x 300 (the classic Crook 1991/1992 bovine-cortex-PS and Jorissen 2001 soy-PS-replication dose — same number, different ingredient, different result: Crook was positive, Jorissen was NULL). \"sourceTier\" is the PRIMARY ranking axis on the best-overall page, not price: branded-sunflower (Sharp-PS® Green, genuinely soy-free, traceable), branded-soy (Sharp-PS® or SerinAid®, traceable), generic-soy (unbranded soy PS), soy-free-undisclosed (labeled \"soy-free\" but the alternative source is not named on the label — a real disclosure gap, not an accusation). REGULATORY CONTEXT: the FDA's 2003 qualified health claim may only be used with its mandated disclaimer — \"very limited and preliminary scientific research suggests that phosphatidylserine may reduce the risk of cognitive dysfunction in the elderly\" — the weakest claim tier FDA issues, not an endorsement. SOURCE-SHIFT CONTEXT: the positive Crook 1991/1992 trials used bovine-cortex PS (BC-PS), discontinued industry-wide in the 1990s (BSE-era). No product sold today uses BC-PS. EFSA has formally concluded bovine- and soy-based PS \"are different substances\" that \"might...have different biological activities.\" The one direct soy-PS replication of the classic 300mg dose (Jorissen 2001, PMID 11842880) was NULL. Cortisol/exercise-stress trials used meaningfully higher doses (600-800 mg/day, Starks 2008 and Monteleone 1992) than the 300 mg cognition dose and higher than any single retail serving in this set. 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,
    "cognitionDoseMg": 300,
    "frilingSunflowerTrialMg": 100,
    "cortisolDoseRangeMg": [
      600,
      800
    ],
    "cheapestPerMg": 0.0012,
    "cheapestPerMgBrand": "Double Wood",
    "cheapestAtCognitionDoseInOneServingBrand": "Double Wood",
    "cheapestBrandedBrand": "Doctor's Best",
    "genuineSunflowerBrand": "Swanson",
    "sourceDisclosureGapBrand": "Nutricost",
    "note": "Ranked by source disclosure (soy/sunflower/undisclosed) and branded-vs-generic raw material FIRST on the best-overall page, cost per mg second — never the reverse. The cheapest cost per mg overall is an unbranded generic soy product; the only genuinely soy-free option is the sunflower-derived, branded pick, priced higher."
  },
  "columns": [
    "brand",
    "product",
    "slug",
    "form",
    "mgPerServing",
    "servings",
    "price",
    "costPerServing",
    "costPerMg",
    "costAtCognitionDose",
    "capsulesForCognitionDose",
    "sourceTier",
    "source",
    "standardization"
  ],
  "units": {
    "mgPerServing": "mg phosphatidylserine",
    "price": "USD",
    "costPerServing": "USD/serving",
    "costPerMg": "USD per mg of PS",
    "costAtCognitionDose": "USD/day at 300mg PS"
  },
  "citations": [
    {
      "claim": "RCT n=149, age-associated memory impairment, bovine-cortex PS (BC-PS) 100mg 3x/day = 300mg/day, 12wk: improved vs placebo on learning/memory tests. Ingredient discontinued industry-wide (BSE-era) — no product sold today matches it.",
      "source": "Crook TH, Tinklenberg J, Yesavage J, et al. 1991, Neurology",
      "pmid": "2027477"
    },
    {
      "claim": "RCT n=51, probable Alzheimer's disease, BC-PS 100mg 3x/day, 12wk: improved on several cognitive measures. Same bovine-source caveat; not a treatment/cure claim.",
      "source": "Crook TH, Petrie W, Wells C, Massari DC. 1992, Psychopharmacol Bull",
      "pmid": "1609044"
    },
    {
      "claim": "RCT n=120, age-associated memory impairment, soy-derived PS 300mg or 600mg/day, 12wk: NULL — no significant differences vs placebo on any outcome. Direct soy-source replication of the Crook 300mg dose, and it failed.",
      "source": "Jorissen BL, Brouns F, van Boxtel MP, et al. 2001, Nutr Neurosci",
      "pmid": "11842880"
    },
    {
      "claim": "RCT n=157 randomized (122 analyzed), non-demented elderly with memory complaints, PS-DHA (soy PS + omega-3) 300mg PS/day, 15wk: significant improvement in immediate verbal recall vs placebo, concentrated in a higher-baseline-performance subgroup. Combined product, cannot isolate PS alone.",
      "source": "Vakhapova V, Cohen T, Richter Y, Herzog Y, Korczyn AD. 2010, Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord",
      "pmid": "20523044"
    },
    {
      "claim": "RCT, healthy children 8-12y, sunflower-derived PS (Sharp-PS® Green) 100mg/day, 12wk: NULL on primary/secondary outcomes across the full cohort; benefit only in a below-median-baseline subgroup. Four co-authors are IFF Health employees (IFF commercializes Sharp-PS® Green).",
      "source": "Friling R, Jackson G, Kennedy D, et al. 2025, Nutr J",
      "pmid": "41318468"
    },
    {
      "claim": "Double-blind crossover, n=10 healthy men, PS 600mg/day x10 days: peak cortisol reduced 39%, cortisol AUC reduced 35% vs placebo before exercise. n=10, small, industry-adjacent authorship.",
      "source": "Starks MA, Starks SL, Kingsley M, Purpura M, Jäger R. 2008, J Int Soc Sports Nutr",
      "pmid": "18662395"
    },
    {
      "claim": "n=9 healthy men, oral PS 800mg/day x10 days: significantly blunted ACTH and cortisol response to exercise. n=9, very small; 800mg/day is more than double most retail single servings.",
      "source": "Monteleone P, Maj M, Beinat L, Natale M, Kemali D. 1992, Eur J Clin Pharmacol",
      "pmid": "1325348"
    }
  ],
  "products": [
    {
      "brand": "Double Wood",
      "product": "Phosphatidylserine 300mg",
      "slug": "double-wood-phosphatidylserine-300mg",
      "form": "Capsule",
      "mgPerServing": 300,
      "servings": 60,
      "price": 20.95,
      "costPerServing": 0.35,
      "costPerMg": 0.0012,
      "costAtCognitionDose": 0.36,
      "capsulesForCognitionDose": 1,
      "sourceTier": "generic-soy",
      "source": "Soy (non-GMO)",
      "standardization": "Unbranded/generic soy PS, 20% standardized"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Nutricost",
      "product": "Phosphatidylserine 400mg (Soy-Free)",
      "slug": "nutricost-phosphatidylserine-400mg",
      "form": "Capsule",
      "mgPerServing": 400,
      "servings": 30,
      "price": 23.95,
      "costPerServing": 0.8,
      "costPerMg": 0.002,
      "costAtCognitionDose": 0.6,
      "capsulesForCognitionDose": 1,
      "sourceTier": "soy-free-undisclosed",
      "source": "Soy-free (alternative source not disclosed on label)",
      "standardization": "Unbranded/generic; source-disclosure gap"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Doctor's Best",
      "product": "Phosphatidylserine (SerinAid)",
      "slug": "doctors-best-phosphatidylserine-100mg",
      "form": "Veg capsule",
      "mgPerServing": 100,
      "servings": 120,
      "price": 29.99,
      "costPerServing": 0.25,
      "costPerMg": 0.0025,
      "costAtCognitionDose": 0.75,
      "capsulesForCognitionDose": 3,
      "sourceTier": "branded-soy",
      "source": "Soy (SerinAid®)",
      "standardization": "SerinAid® (branded, soy)"
    },
    {
      "brand": "NOW Foods",
      "product": "Phosphatidyl Serine 100mg",
      "slug": "now-foods-phosphatidylserine-100mg",
      "form": "Capsule",
      "mgPerServing": 100,
      "servings": 120,
      "price": 37.01,
      "costPerServing": 0.31,
      "costPerMg": 0.0031,
      "costAtCognitionDose": 0.93,
      "capsulesForCognitionDose": 3,
      "sourceTier": "generic-soy",
      "source": "Soy (soy lecithin, per label)",
      "standardization": "Unbranded/generic soy PS"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Swanson",
      "product": "Ultra Sunflower Phosphatidylserine (Sharp-PS Green)",
      "slug": "swanson-sunflower-ps-sharp-ps-green-100mg",
      "form": "Softgel",
      "mgPerServing": 100,
      "servings": 90,
      "price": 38.59,
      "costPerServing": 0.43,
      "costPerMg": 0.0043,
      "costAtCognitionDose": 1.29,
      "capsulesForCognitionDose": 3,
      "sourceTier": "branded-sunflower",
      "source": "Sunflower (Sharp-PS® Green, soy-free)",
      "standardization": "Sharp-PS® Green (branded, sunflower)"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Jarrow Formulas",
      "product": "PS-100 (Sharp-PS)",
      "slug": "jarrow-ps-100-sharp-ps-100mg",
      "form": "Capsule",
      "mgPerServing": 100,
      "servings": 120,
      "price": 60.99,
      "costPerServing": 0.51,
      "costPerMg": 0.0051,
      "costAtCognitionDose": 1.53,
      "capsulesForCognitionDose": 3,
      "sourceTier": "branded-soy",
      "source": "Soy (Sharp-PS®)",
      "standardization": "Sharp-PS® (branded, soy)"
    }
  ]
}