tuneTypical Dose
1,000 mg/day is the most common studied target
Mitochondrial Support
Urolithin A
Urolithin A
Evidence TierCWADA NOT PROHIBITED
watchEffect Window
Human trials measured outcomes over 2 to 4 months rather than days.
check_circleCompliance
WADA NOT PROHIBITED
Overview
Clinical Summary
Urolithin A is a mitophagy-focused healthy aging supplement with encouraging human data for muscle endurance and mitochondrial biomarkers, but not enough evidence for broad longevity claims.
Urolithin A is one of the more plausible mitochondrial-health supplements because it targets mitophagy rather than generic antioxidant signaling. Human trials in older and middle-aged adults show improvements in several endurance and biomarker endpoints over 4 months, with good tolerability. The main limitation is that the strongest effects are in secondary endpoints and biomarker domains, while some primary functional endpoints remain neutral. It is best framed as a promising performance and healthy-aging support tool, not a proven longevity intervention.
Urolithin A appears to support mitophagy and mitochondrial quality control, which may help skeletal muscle maintain cleaner and more efficient mitochondrial turnover.
Outcomes
What This Is Expected To Influence
Primary Outcomes
- Improved selected muscle-endurance measures in older adults
- Improved mitochondrial-health biomarkers in older and middle-aged adults
Secondary Outcomes
- Reduced circulating acylcarnitines and inflammatory markers in trials
- No convincing evidence yet for broad anti-aging or longevity outcomes
Safety
Contraindications and Interactions
Contraindications
- Pregnancy or lactation
Side effects
- Mild GI upset
Interactions
No entries provided
Avoid if
- You are expecting rapid or clearly perceptible benefits within days
Evidence
Study-level References
ua-SRC-001Randomized controlled trial
Sourceopen_in_newLiu 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;5(2):e2144279. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.44279. PMID:35050355.
Population: Community-dwelling older adults.
Dose protocol: 1,000 mg/day for 4 months in adults aged 65 to 90 years
Key findings: Improved selected muscle-endurance measures and mitochondrial biomarkers, but not all primary functional endpoints.
Notes: Core older-adult clinical trial for current use framing.
Paper content
Urolithin A improved selected muscle-endurance and biomarker endpoints in older adults over 4 months, but it did not significantly improve the primary six-minute walk or ATP production endpoints versus placebo.
ua-SRC-002Randomized controlled trial
Sourceopen_in_newSingh 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;3(5):100633. doi:10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100633. PMID:35584623.
Population: Healthy middle-aged adults with overweight status.
Dose protocol: 500 or 1,000 mg/day for 4 months in middle-aged adults
Key findings: Improved strength, endurance-related outcomes, and mitochondrial biomarkers while leaving peak power neutral.
Notes: Useful replication in a somewhat younger population.
Paper content
In middle-aged adults, four months of urolithin A improved several secondary muscle-performance and mitochondrial-biomarker endpoints, while the prespecified primary power endpoint remained neutral.
ua-SRC-003Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Sourceopen_in_newDenk D, Singh A, Kasler HG, et al. Effect of the mitophagy inducer urolithin A on age-related immune decline: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Nat Aging. 2025;5(11):2309-2322. doi:10.1038/s43587-025-00996-x. PMID:41174221.
Population: Healthy middle-aged adults aged 45 to 70 years.
Dose protocol: 1,000 mg/day for 28 days in adults aged 45 to 70 years
Key findings: Expanded naive-like CD8+ T cells, enhanced CD8+ fatty acid oxidation, elevated NK cells and monocytes, and improved immune cell functional responses.
Notes: Extends the evidence base from muscle and mitochondrial endpoints to immune function.
Paper content
This double-blind RCT tested 1,000 mg/day urolithin A for 28 days in 50 healthy middle-aged adults. The study found that urolithin A expanded naive-like CD8+ T cells with reduced terminal exhaustion, enhanced CD8+ fatty acid oxidation capacity, elevated CD56dimCD16bright NK cells and nonclassical monocytes, and improved TNF secretion and bacterial uptake in stimulated immune cells. These results suggest urolithin A may counteract features of immunosenescence, extending its known mitochondrial benefits to the immune compartment. The trial duration was short and the population was healthy, so the clinical significance of these immune shifts for infection resistance or vaccine responses remains to be established.
ua-SRC-004Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Sourceopen_in_newXu Y, Nie Y, Tang R, et al. Assessment of Urolithin A effects on muscle endurance, strength, inflammation, oxidative stress, and protein metabolism in male athletes with resistance training: an 8-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Diet Suppl. 2025. doi:10.1080/15502783.2024.2419388. PMID:39487653.
Population: Resistance-trained male athletes.
Dose protocol: 1 g/day urolithin A for 8 weeks in resistance-trained men
Key findings: Improved maximum voluntary isometric contraction and repetitions to failure, while one-repetition-max strength changes were not clearly different from placebo.
Notes: Useful for expanding the entry beyond older-adult data, but the sample was small and highly specific.
Paper content
This 8-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 20 resistance-trained men found that 1 g/day urolithin A improved maximum voluntary isometric contraction and repetitions to failure compared with placebo, while one-repetition-max bench and squat gains were directionally favorable but not statistically significant. The trial also reported a reduction in 3-methylhistidine, which suggests lower myofibrillar protein breakdown. The study broadens the urolithin A evidence base beyond older-adult endurance outcomes, but the sample was small and focused on trained men rather than the general population.