Urolithin A: Promising Mechanism, Premature Market, Fraudulent Products
A review of the clinical evidence & independent potency testing of the 10 most popular supplements
The mitophagy gold rush is turning into a fraud epidemic. As research momentum accelerates & the longevity space rushes to capitalize on this compound, brands are flooding the market with products containing < 3% of what they claim. (Many such cases.)
We’re back this week covering another independent lab analysis on the ten most popular urolithin A supplements.
But first, let’s hit a quick primer on what urolithin A is, why it matters, & if it’s just another overhyped marketing psyop.
What Is Urolithin A?
Urolithin A is a postbiotic metabolite produced when gut bacteria transform ellagitannins1 → polyphenolic compounds found in pomegranates, berries, & walnuts.
More on the best natural source here:
The problem: only 30-40% of people possess the necessary bacterial strains for efficient conversion and production declines with age.
Why It Matters
Mitochondrial function deteriorates as we age, leading to cellular energy deficits and the accumulation of damaged mitochondria. Urolithin A has emerged as the most promising compound for counteracting this decline through a process known as mitophagy → the selective removal & recycling of dysfunctional mitochondria.
Up until this point, we have fewer than 10 clinical/RCTs on urolithin A in supplementation form. However, research momentum accelerated in 2024. One paper leading the charge was a July 2024 systematic review from Kuerec et al.2 in Ageing Research Reviews summarizing much of the clinical evidence thus far. Across five studies involving 250 healthy participants, urolithin A at doses ranging from 10-1,000 mg daily for 28 days to 4 months demonstrated potential benefits:
Cardiovascular protection3 (flow-mediated dilation)
Cognitive improvement & neuroprotection4 (learning, memory)
Improved muscle strength & endurance5 (average peak torque)
In the same review, no significant effects were observed across the following:
Mitochondrial biogenesis or dynamics
Body composition metrics (lean/fat mass)
Cardiometabolic measures (VO2 max, peak power output)
As the longevity market matures, urolithin A is positioned to move from a niche supplement to mainstream intervention in 2026.
Now let’s take a look at how these brands stack up against each other.
Urolithin A Potency Testing
Product #1: CodeAge
Urolithin A (mg) Claimed: 500 mg
Urolithin A (mg) Tested: 661 mg
% of Label Claim: 132.2%
Test Result: ✅
Cost/500 mg: $3.33
Product #2: Totaria Health
Urolithin A (mg) Claimed: 1,000 mg
Urolithin A (mg) Tested: 0.12 mg
% of Label Claim: 0.01%
Test Result: ❌
Cost/500 mg: $0.24
Product #3: Pepeior
Urolithin A (mg) Claimed: 1,000 mg
Urolithin A (mg) Tested: 0.22 mg
% of Label Claim: 0.02%
Test Result: ❌
Cost/500 mg: $0.21
Product #4: Timeline Mitopure
Urolithin A (mg) Claimed: 500 mg
Urolithin A (mg) Tested: 602 mg
% of Label Claim: 120.5%
Test Result: ✅
Cost/500 mg: $4.17
Product #5: Neurogan Health Pro+
Urolithin A (mg) Claimed: 1,000 mg
Urolithin A (mg) Tested: 1,097.8 mg
% of Label Claim: 109.8%
Test Result: ✅
Cost/500 mg: $0.83
Product #6: PureHealth Max
Urolithin A (mg) Claimed: 500 mg
Urolithin A (mg) Tested: 10.4 mg
% of Label Claim: 2.1%
Test Result: ❌
Cost/500 mg: $2.00
Product #7: Migcopat
Urolithin A (mg) Claimed: 300 mg
Urolithin A (mg) Tested: 0.22 mg
% of Label Claim: 0.07%
Test Result: ❌
Cost/500 mg: $0.28
Product #8: Sundhedsliv
Urolithin A (mg) Claimed: 1,000 mg
Urolithin A (mg) Tested: 0.14 mg
% of Label Claim: 0.01%
Test Result: ❌
Cost/500 mg: $0.37
Product #9: Pure Encapsulations Renual
Urolithin A (mg) Claimed: 250 mg
Urolithin A (mg) Tested: 283.1 mg
% of Label Claim: 113.2%
Test Result: ✅
Cost/500 mg: $4.87
Product #10: CystoRebalance
Urolithin A (mg) Claimed: 2,000 mg
Urolithin A (mg) Tested: 0.1 mg
% of Label Claim: 0.01%
Test Result: ❌
Cost/500 mg: $0.10
Phys Stance
“This is all great…but the evidence seems thin. So where do you stand?”
I’ll typically take the perspective of: “If you want to wait (for a clean RCT) — accept you’ll be late in this space”. Train yourself to become hypersensitive to your own individualized biofeedback & treat the body like a closed-loop control system — under reasonable conditions of course.
That said — fewer than 10 trials, 250 total participants, & small effect sizes where results happen to be significant. If an intervention isn’t measurably improving one or more of these within 12 weeks, it’s rarely worth the investment:
Metabolic health markers (glucose, lipids, inflammation)
Body composition (lean mass, fat loss)
Sleep quality (duration, efficiency, recovery)
Cognitive function (focus, memory, processing speed)
Subjective well-being (energy, mood, vitality)
When academic research isn’t overwhelming in these areas, I look to n=1 experiments within our space. For urolithin A, the anecdata remain sparse & unconvincing.
Come back next year & I may eat my words but for now, I’m not lunging at the novelty here. I’ll choose to wait this one out.
If you’ve had a different experience with urolithin A, democratize that knowledge in the comments below. Credible anecdata moves the needle where clinical trials fall short.
Stay vigilant out there. Stay after it. And until next week.
Your friend,
Phys
D’Amico D, Andreux PA, Valdés P, Singh A, Rinsch C, Auwerx J. Impact of the Natural Compound Urolithin A on Health, Disease, and Aging. Trends Mol Med. 2021 Jul;27(7):687-699. doi: 10.1016/j.molmed.2021.04.009. Epub 2021 May 21. PMID: 34030963.
Kuerec AH, Lim XK, Khoo AL, Sandalova E, Guan L, Feng L, Maier AB. Targeting aging with urolithin A in humans: A systematic review. Ageing Res Rev. 2024 Sep;100:102406. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2024.102406. Epub 2024 Jul 11. PMID: 39002645.
Liu S, Faitg J, Tissot C, Konstantopoulos D, Laws R, Bourdier G, Andreux PA, Davey T, Gallart-Ayala H, Ivanisevic J, Singh A, Rinsch C, Marcinek DJ, D’Amico D. Urolithin A provides cardioprotection and mitochondrial quality enhancement preclinically and improves human cardiovascular health biomarkers. iScience. 2025 Jan 14;28(2):111814. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.111814. PMID: 40034121; PMCID: PMC11875685.
Hou Y, Chu X, Park JH, Zhu Q, Hussain M, Li Z, Madsen HB, Yang B, Wei Y, Wang Y, Fang EF, Croteau DL, Bohr VA. Urolithin A improves Alzheimer’s disease cognition and restores mitophagy and lysosomal functions. Alzheimers Dement. 2024 Jun;20(6):4212-4233. doi: 10.1002/alz.13847. Epub 2024 May 16. PMID: 38753870; PMCID: PMC11180933.
Singh A, D’Amico D, Andreux PA, Fouassier AM, Blanco-Bose W, Evans M, Aebischer P, Auwerx J, Rinsch C. Urolithin A improves muscle strength, exercise performance, and biomarkers of mitochondrial health in a randomized trial in middle-aged adults. Cell Rep Med. 2022 May 17;3(5):100633. doi: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100633. PMID: 35584623; PMCID: PMC9133463.
Nishimoto Y, Fujisawa K, Ukawa Y, Kudoh M, Funahashi K, Kishimoto Y, Fukuda S. Effect of urolithin A on the improvement of vascular endothelial function depends on the gut microbiota. Front Nutr. 2023 Jan 5;9:1077534. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1077534. PMID: 36687672; PMCID: PMC9854132.
i reflexively always choose to buy liposomal products, assuming that their bioavailability has to be better. i see you did not test Gesundgeist brand liposomal urolithin-a with coq10 and trans-resveratrol.......nor did you test 1660mg liposomal urolithin-a with organic pomegranite extract, liposomal quercetin, and piperine. any chance you might do so in the near future?
Potentially very interesting! Thank you for your careful precision. I am extremely gratified that you have exposed the frauds—which make me angry(is that really the word?) It makes me wish God’s judgement on them, confident that God hates liars, cheats and thieves. Thank you for the excellent article on the health benefits of pomegranates.