Urolithin A Dosage: Trial (500mg-1,000mg) vs Shelf (250mg-1,000mg)
Educational summary — not medical advice. Urolithin A has no established RDA or upper limit, and no long-term (6-month+) human safety data at any dose. This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
The honest answer
Human trials cluster at two doses: 500 mg/day (Singh 2022's low-dose arm — positive on hamstring strength) and 1000 mg/day (used in every trial where exercise or endurance performance was the primary focus, and the dose that added VO2peak/6-minute-walk gains on top of the strength effect within Singh 2022 itself). Safety has been tested up to 2000 mg as a single dose and 1,000 mg/day continuously for 4 months — the longest continuous human safety window of any compound in this site's newer-longevity category, though still short of a 6-month-plus long-term read. There's no RDA or upper limit because urolithin A isn't an essential nutrient.
Two doses anchor the evidence, and the shelf doesn't match either cleanly
Unlike some ingredients on this site where retail radically underdoses or overdoses the trial range, urolithin A's dosing story is about which trial dose you're targeting, and whether the molecule on the label matches. Singh 2022 (n=88 randomized, middle-aged untrained overweight adults, 4 months) directly compared 500mg against 1,000mg against placebo: hamstring strength improved roughly 12% at both doses, but peak VO2 and 6-minute-walk distance improved significantly only at the 1,000mg dose — a real, if single-trial, dose-response signal. Every other trial where exercise or endurance performance was the primary outcome simply used 1,000mg/day without testing a lower arm: Liu 2022 (older adults, 4 months), Whitfield 2025 (elite runners, 4 weeks), the soccer pilot (6 weeks), and Zhao 2024 (young trained athletes, 8 weeks). Separately, the first-in-human safety trial (Andreux 2019, n=60 sedentary elderly) tested single ascending doses from 250mg up to 2,000mg, plus 28 days of 250/500/1,000mg/day, and found urolithin A and its metabolites bioavailable and dose-dependent in plasma, unaffected by food, with no accumulation over time and a favorable safety profile at every dose.
| Use case | Dose studied | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Positive on strength | 500 mg/day, 4 months | Hamstring strength +~12% vs placebo (p=0.027-0.029), same as the 1,000mg arm (Singh 2022) |
| Adds endurance gains on top of strength | 1,000 mg/day, 4 months | Peak VO2 and 6-minute-walk distance significantly improved (Singh 2022 high arm) — not seen at 500mg in the same trial |
| Most-used dose across endurance/exercise trials | 1,000 mg/day, 4-8 weeks to 4 months | Used by Liu 2022, Whitfield 2025, the soccer pilot, and Zhao 2024 as the single dose tested — no lower arm compared in any of these |
| Safety, single dose | Up to 2,000 mg, once | No serious adverse events; dose-dependent plasma exposure, unaffected by food (Andreux 2019) |
| Safety, continuous | 1,000 mg/day, up to 4 months | No serious adverse events across Andreux 2019 (28 days), Singh 2022 and Liu 2022 (4 months each) |
Dose checker: how much urolithin A are you actually taking?
Enter the urolithin A milligrams per serving from your label (look for "Urolithin A ___ mg" on the Supplement Facts panel) and how many servings you take per day. This checker treats free urolithin A and urolithin A diacetate as the same mg number for simplicity — but remember they are different molecules; see the molecular-form disclosure before comparing across products.
How to think about the dose you pick
- 500 mg/day is the minimum dose with a positive human strength signal — the low-dose arm in the strongest positive trial in this pack (Singh 2022).
- 1,000 mg/day is the dose almost every endurance-focused trial used, and the dose that added VO2peak/6-minute-walk gains within Singh 2022 — but that specific dose-response comparison comes from a single, fully industry-funded trial.
- Don't treat 2000 mg as a daily dose. That figure is a single-dose safety ceiling (Andreux 2019); the longest continuous daily dosing tested at any amount is 1,000mg/day for 4 months.
- Molecular form matters as much as milligrams. Every trial dose above refers to free urolithin A. Urolithin A diacetate has never itself been dosed in a human trial — see the molecular-form breakdown before assuming a diacetate product's mg is equivalent.
- Pregnant or breastfeeding? There is no data at all for urolithin A in this population — check with a clinician, because of the total absence of data, not a specific toxicity signal.
Picks by dose and molecule
Full comparison, including why neither product is a clean trial match, is on best urolithin A.
Mitopure-branded, bundled with resveratrol and CoQ10. Two servings/day would approach the 500mg trial floor.
Never itself tested in a human trial — do not assume dose-equivalence to the 1000mg free-urolithin-A trials.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Of 2 products tracked; ranked by molecular-form disclosure, never commissions.
Frequently asked questions
How much urolithin A should I take per day?
500mg (positive on strength) or 1,000mg (used in every endurance trial, adds VO2/6MWT gains over 500mg in Singh 2022). Safety tested to 2,000mg single-dose and 1,000mg/day for 4 months.
Is 1,000mg better than 500mg?
For endurance-specific outcomes within Singh 2022, yes — but that's a single trial's dose comparison, not replicated head-to-head elsewhere.
Is 2,000mg of urolithin A safe?
Well tolerated as a single dose (Andreux 2019). No data on taking 2,000mg daily; longest continuous dosing tested at any amount is 1,000mg/day for 4 months.
Is there a urolithin A RDA or upper limit?
No. Not an essential nutrient, so no RDA or official UL exists. Trial doses and safety data are reference points, not regulatory limits.
Related
- Urolithin A: what it is & the funding count
- Best urolithin A — the honest retail-landscape guide
- Urolithin A for muscle & exercise endurance
- Does urolithin A work? — the honest, industry-funded read
Sources
- Andreux PA, Blanco-Bose W, Ryu D, et al. "The mitophagy activator urolithin A is safe and induces a molecular signature of improved mitochondrial and cellular health in humans." Nat Metab. 2019. PMID: 32694802 (single-dose up to 2,000mg; 28-day multiple ascending dose).
- Singh A, D'Amico D, Andreux PA, et al. "Urolithin A improves muscle strength, exercise performance, and biomarkers of mitochondrial health in a randomized trial in middle-aged adults." Cell Rep Med. 2022. PMID: 35584623 (500mg vs 1,000mg, 4 months).
- Liu S, D'Amico D, Shankland E, et al. "Effect of Urolithin A Supplementation on Muscle Endurance and Mitochondrial Health in Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial." JAMA Netw Open. 2022. PMID: 35050355 (1,000mg/day, 4 months).
- Full product dataset: /urolithin-a/cost-by-brand.json (CC BY 4.0).