How much water do I add to Urolithin A?

You can reconstitute Urolithin A with 0.5, 1, or 2 mL of bacteriostatic water. Each option produces a different concentration and syringe draw for the same dose. Use the calculator to see which is easiest to measure.

What does Urolithin A cost per dose?

Cost per dose depends on vial size, price paid, and your dose. Enter your vendor's price in the Urolithin A calculator to see cost per dose and monthly cost.

What is the reference dose for Urolithin A?

The commonly referenced range is 500 up to 1,000 mg per day, taken daily. This is reference information, not a recommendation. Talk to a licensed clinician.

What are the side effects of Urolithin A?

Reported side effects of Urolithin A include: Both randomised trials missed the endpoint they were designed around, which is not how the 12 percent strength figure is usually presented.; Both were funded by Amazentis, the company that sells it, with company employees as authors.; Roughly 60 to 70 percent of people cannot make meaningful amounts of it from food, because the gut bacteria required are not universal.. Severity and frequency vary by person and dose.

Who should not take Urolithin A?

Urolithin A is generally not appropriate for: Pregnancy and breastfeeding, on absent data rather than known harm; Any active cancer, since mitophagy effects on tumour cells are not characterised; Children, who were not studied. Talk to a licensed clinician before starting.

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Decoding

Urolithin A_Dosage, benefits & legal status

Also known as Mitopure, UA, urolithin-A

By the Peptide Decoding Editorial Team

Published August 24, 2026

The mitophagy supplement with two real trials, both of which missed.

Energy & agingGut metabolite (oral, not a peptide)OTC / supplement

InLongevity and energyTaken without a needle

Dose500 up to 1,000 mg per day

FrequencyDaily

RouteBy mouth (oral)

StatusSupplement

MixYour choice, calculate it

CycledContinuous in the trials

Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.

What is Urolithin A?

Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.

Overview

It tells cells to recycle their broken batteries.

The technical version

Urolithin A is a small molecule your gut bacteria make from ellagitannins in pomegranates, walnuts and berries, and it triggers mitophagy, the process that clears out worn-out mitochondria.

What it's used for

An oral supplement taken for muscle and mitochondrial ageing, with the most human data of any longevity compound sold this way.

How does Urolithin A work?

What it does in the body, and where.

Urolithin A is not in the fruit. Your gut makes it, if you have the right bacteria.

01
Ellagitannins arrive from pomegranate, walnuts or berries
These are too large to be absorbed and do nothing on their own.
02
Gut bacteria convert them to urolithin A
Only some people carry the bacteria that do this well. Estimates put the proportion who cannot at around two thirds, which is the main argument for taking it directly.
03
It triggers mitophagy
Cells identify damaged mitochondria and break them down, clearing space for new ones.
04
The biomarkers move more clearly than the function does
Acylcarnitines and C-reactive protein fell in the trials. Peak power output, six-minute walk distance and maximal ATP production did not.

Pathway

A schematic of the compound's mechanism, not a diagnostic image.

What else is it used for?

Each use below carries its own evidence level. Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.

Muscle strength and endurance in middle-aged and older adultsInvestigational
Mitochondrial biomarkers such as plasma acylcarnitinesInvestigational
General longevity and healthspanEarly research

How much, and do you cycle it?

The range, and whether you take breaks.

500 up to 1,000 mg per day, daily. Continuous in the trialsTrial dose

Both randomised trials dosed daily for four months with no break. Nothing has tested whether the mitophagy effect persists after stopping, or whether cycling changes anything.

Compare this against the whole library →

How long does it stay in the body?

The half-life, and where the figure comes from.

Around 20 hours as the conjugated formNo figure

Absorbed urolithin A is rapidly conjugated in the liver, so what circulates is mostly the glucuronide rather than the free molecule. Figures quoted for the free form and for the conjugate are not the same number, and we have not verified either against a primary pharmacokinetic paper.

You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.

What does it cost?

Typical dose and cost, in plain numbers.

Urolithin A is not injected

It is taken by mouth (oral). The two doses tested in the ATLAS trial were 500 mg and 1,000 mg daily for four months. The older-adult trial used 1,000 mg daily. Both figures come from trials, not from a label, because there is no label.

Cost per month

—

Cost per dose

—

Typical dose

500 mg–1000 mg / dayTrial dose

ATLAS trial NCT03464500, ClinicalTrials.gov →

How do you store it?

Before mixing, and after.

Room temperature. Cool, dry, out of light.

Urolithin A is taken as a pill or capsule. Keep it in its original container at room temperature, away from heat, humidity, and direct sun. No fridge or mixing needed. Check the expiration date on the bottle.

What are the side effects and cautions?

Known cautions and warnings for this compound.

Who should avoid it

Check these before anything else.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding, on absent data rather than known harm
Any active cancer, since mitophagy effects on tumour cells are not characterised
Children, who were not studied

Stop and get help

These are emergencies. Seek care.

Persistent stomach pain or diarrhoea
Any new or unexplained symptom that starts after beginning it
Signs of an allergic reaction such as face or throat swelling, hives, or trouble breathing

Common effects

Expected, and usually mild.

Generally well tolerated in both trials
Mild digestive upset
No serious adverse events reported in either trial

Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.

Is Urolithin A approved?

And where the numbers on this page come from.

Not as a medicine. Urolithin A is sold without a prescription as a supplement or cosmetic ingredient, which is a different thing from being approved as a drug.

Approval status
OTC / supplement
Route
By mouth (oral)
Checked
August 2026

What has happened recently

Sold in the US as a dietary supplement, with no FDA approval for any use. The evidence deserves reading carefully rather than by headline. In the ATLAS trial, 88 middle-aged adults took 500 or 1,000 mg daily for four months, and the primary endpoint, peak power output, did not improve significantly. The widely quoted 12 percent gain was in hamstring muscle strength, a secondary measure. In the older-adult trial published in JAMA Network Open, 1,000 mg daily improved muscle endurance in hand and leg muscles, but six-minute walk distance and maximal ATP production, the measures the study was built around, did not reach significance. Both trials were sponsored by Amazentis, which sells the ingredient as Mitopure, and company employees appear among the authors of both.

You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.

DoseFrom product labeling and published use.
Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
Sources
Singh et al., ATLAS trial, Cell Reports Medicine Liu et al., older adults, JAMA Network Open
Reviewed24 August 2026

What else is like Urolithin A?

Others in Longevity and energy, side by side.

If you're weighing Urolithin A, it's worth reading NMN, Nicotinamide Riboside (NR), and Klotho in the same class.

YOU ARE HERE

UROASmall molecule

Urolithin A

The mitophagy supplement with two real trials, both of which missed.

OTC / supplement

Dose: 500 up to 1,000 mg per day
How often: Daily

NMNSmall molecule

NMN

The NAD+ precursor the FDA banned, then un-banned on a technicality.

OTC / supplement

Dose: 250 up to 1,000 mg per day
How often: Daily

NRSmall molecule

Nicotinamide Riboside (NR)

The NAD+ precursor that kept its paperwork in order.

OTC / supplement

Dose: 300 up to 1,000 mg per day
How often: Daily

KLTH

Klotho

A real longevity protein, and a category where what is sold may not be it.

Research only

Dose: No established human dose
How often: No established schedule

See other longevity and energy peptides Other peptides without injections

What these words mean

Show glossary +

503A and 503B: The two kinds of compounding pharmacy in US law. A 503A pharmacy prepares medicine for one named patient. A 503B outsourcing facility makes larger batches under stricter manufacturing rules.
Agonist: Something that switches a receptor on. The opposite is an antagonist. It blocks the receptor instead.
Amino acid: The building blocks that link together in a chain to make a peptide or a protein. The order they sit in is what makes one peptide different from another.
Amylin: A hormone released alongside insulin that slows the stomach emptying and reduces appetite. Several weight loss compounds copy it.
Analog: A compound built to copy a natural one with small deliberate changes, usually so it lasts longer or holds onto its target more tightly.
Animal study: Research done in rats, mice or other animals. Most findings do not repeat in people, so an animal result is a reason to keep looking. It is not a reason to act.
Antibody: A large immune protein, far bigger than a peptide, engineered to lock onto one specific target. These are made by drug companies and are not sold as research powders.
Bacteriostatic water: Sterile water with a tiny amount of preservative, used to mix powdered peptides.
Banned in drug-tested sport: Prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA); using it can disqualify a competing athlete.
Bioavailability: How much of a dose actually reaches your bloodstream. Most peptides survive stomach acid badly, so most of them are injected instead of swallowed.
Bioregulator: Very short peptides from a Russian research tradition, usually two to four amino acids long, sold for supporting a specific organ. Human evidence is thin and most of it is published in Russian.
Blend: One vial holding more than one compound, mixed together by the seller. Working out a dose means working out each ingredient separately, because they are rarely present in equal amounts.
Boxed warning: The most serious warning the FDA puts on a drug label, printed inside a black border. It flags a risk considered severe enough to sit above everything else on the label.
Bulks list: The FDA's list of ingredients that compounding pharmacies are allowed to use. A substance can sit under review on it for years without anything being decided either way.
Certificate of analysis (COA): A lab report on a batch of product. It only means something if it names the batch you actually received, comes from an independent lab, and can be checked with that lab.
Clinical trial: A study that gives a treatment to people under a written plan and measures what happens. It is the only kind of evidence that can show something works in humans.
Compounding: A licensed pharmacy preparing a medicine to order. Being allowed to compound something is not the same as the FDA approving it, and the two get mixed up constantly.
Concentration: How strong the mixed peptide is, in milligrams per milliliter (mg/mL). More water makes it weaker; less water makes it stronger.
Cycle: A stretch of time using a compound followed by a break. Most cycling patterns come from community practice. Very few have been tested.
DAC: Short for Drug Affinity Complex. An attachment added to a peptide so it grabs onto a blood protein and stays in the body for days instead of minutes.
Dead space: The small amount of liquid left sitting inside the needle and hub after you inject. On very small doses it can be a real share of what you meant to take.
Dilute: Adding more liquid to make a mix weaker. The amount of peptide in the vial does not change. It is just spread through more water, so each draw is bigger.
Endpoint: The result a trial said in advance that it would measure. A study can be reported as positive and still have missed the endpoint it set out to hit.
FDA approved: Reviewed by the FDA and cleared for a specific use, in a specific form, at a specific dose. Approval for one use is not approval for another, and approval in another country is not approval here.
Fragment: A short piece cut out of a larger natural protein. A fragment can behave very differently from the whole protein it came from, so evidence about one does not transfer to the other.
Ghrelin: The hunger hormone. Some growth hormone compounds work by copying it, so they can make you noticeably hungrier.
GHRH: A natural signal telling the pituitary gland to release growth hormone. Several compounds copy it.
GHRP: A second, separate signal that also triggers growth hormone release, through a different door than GHRH. This is why the two types are often used together.
GLP-1: A natural gut hormone that lowers appetite and blood sugar. Drugs that copy it, like semaglutide, are used for weight loss.
Growth hormone secretagogue: A compound that nudges your body to release more of its own growth hormone, rather than injecting the hormone itself.
Half-life: How long a compound stays active in your body. A longer half-life means you inject less often.
HPLC: A lab method that separates out everything in a sample so the amounts can be measured. It shows how much of the main ingredient is there. It does not confirm that the main ingredient is the right molecule.
In vitro: Done in a dish or a test tube, on cells outside a living body. It is the earliest kind of evidence there is.
Injection site: The spot on the body where you inject. Moving it around gives the skin and fat underneath time to recover between doses.
Intramuscular (IM): An injection into a muscle, using a longer needle.
Intravenous (IV): An injection into a vein. It needs training and equipment and is not something to do at home.
Investigational: Still being tested in clinical trials and not yet approved or legally sold for general use.
Lyophilized: Freeze-dried into a powder so it keeps longer. That is the white cake or dust in the bottom of an unmixed vial.
Mass spectrometry: A lab method that weighs molecules to confirm what they are. HPLC answers how much is in the sample. This answers what it is.
mcg and mg: Units of dose. 1 milligram (mg) equals 1,000 micrograms (mcg).
Myostatin: A natural brake on muscle growth. Several compounds are built to block it, though human results have been far smaller than the animal work suggested.
Off-label: A doctor prescribing an approved drug for something other than its approved use. This is legal and common, and it is different from a compound having no approval at all.
Orphan drug designation: A status given to treatments for rare conditions to make them worth developing. It is an incentive, not an approval, and a compound can hold it while being approved for nothing.
PCAC: The FDA advisory committee that reviews compounding ingredients. It recommends. It does not approve, and the FDA does not have to follow what it says.
Peer review: Other scientists checking a paper before a journal publishes it. It filters out some bad work. It does not make a finding true.
Peptide vs small molecule: A peptide is a short chain of amino acids. A few items here (like MK-677 or methylene blue) are small molecules, not true peptides, but people use them the same way.
Placebo: A dummy treatment given for comparison. Without one it is very hard to tell a real effect apart from expectation and time passing.
Purity: The share of a sample that is the intended compound, usually given as a percentage. A high purity number on the wrong molecule is still the wrong molecule.
Randomized: Deciding by chance who gets which treatment, so the two groups are comparable. Studies that skip this are much easier to read the wrong way.
Receptor: A docking point on a cell that a compound attaches to. If a cell has no matching receptor, the compound does nothing to it.
Reconstitution: Mixing a powdered peptide with liquid (bacteriostatic water) so it can be drawn into a syringe.
Research only: No approved dose or use in people. Sold for research and not reviewed by the FDA for safety or quality.
Stack: Using more than one compound at the same time. Almost no combinations have been tested together in people, so a stack is usually built on guesswork.
Sterile water: Water with nothing added to stop bacteria growing. It works for a single dose, but a vial mixed with it should not be kept and used again.
Subcutaneous: An injection just under the skin, into the fat layer, usually with a short, thin insulin needle.
Titrate: Starting at a low dose and increasing it slowly over time so your body adjusts and side effects stay mild.
Trial phases: The stages of human testing. Phase 1 checks safety in a small group, phase 2 looks for an effect, and phase 3 tests it against a comparison in a large group.
Units (on the syringe): The marks on an insulin syringe. 100 units equals 1 mL. They measure how much liquid you draw, not the dose in milligrams.

Guides for this compound

How to Reconstitute a Peptide
Mix peptide powder with bacteriostatic water, step by step.
mcg vs mg: The Peptide Dosing Mistake to Avoid
Your vial says mg and your protocol says mcg. Here is the conversion and how to check it.
How to Read a Peptide COA
What the purity number does and does not tell you, and how to spot an edited report.
How to Vet a Peptide Vendor
Independent COAs, HPLC purity, and the red flags that mean walk away.

Sources

Singh et al., ATLAS trial, Cell Reports Medicine(2022)
Strength improved by about 12 percent, but peak power output, the primary endpoint, did not improve significantly.
Liu et al., older adults, JAMA Network Open(2022)
Muscle endurance improved; six-minute walk distance and maximal ATP production did not.

Last reviewed 24 August 2026

Peptide Decoding is published by Decoded Sciences LLC. We take no payment from vendors for coverage, inclusion or ranking, and our affiliate relationships are disclosed in full.

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