Urolithin A

Urolithin A (ellagitannin-derived gut metabolite)

Last updated 2026-05-19 · 5 primary citations

Mechanism

Inside every cell are tiny power plants called mitochondria. They wear out with age. Urolithin A is a compound your body normally makes from pomegranate and berries — but only if you have the right gut bacteria, which most people don't. It triggers your cells to recycle their worn-out power plants. The clinical trials so far have shown this translates into measurable improvements in muscle endurance.

Why we use it

Brain fog and fatigue in perimenopause are partly a cellular-energy story. UA's strongest evidence is in muscle, but the cellular cleanup mechanism applies brain-wide. We hold the dose at a proven 1 gram while waiting for the dedicated brain-trial results that are due in 2027–2028.

How we dose it

Hericea uses 1,000 mg per serving (per PM packet). The clinical trial range that anchors this dose is 500–1,000 mg/day.

1 gram — the upper end of the dose range tested in published human trials. We frame this as long-term prevention (mitochondrial maintenance), not symptom reversal.

Quality & sourcing

Commodity UA with per-lot heavy-metal panel + assay COA.

Commodity-grade — Hericea is UA-alone, not co-formulated with NR (avoids the US11166972B2 patent that reads on NR+UA combinations).

Cautions

informationalWell tolerated in human trials to date.

Primary literature

Singh A et al. (2022)

Cell Rep Med

PubMed →

RCT (ATLAS) · 88 people · 16 weeks

The ATLAS trial — Urolithin A at 500 or 1,000 mg/day for 4 months improved muscle endurance, exercise performance, and the cellular markers of mitochondrial health vs placebo.

The largest UA human trial to date. Our 1-gram dose comes from the top arm here.

PMID 35050355

Andreux PA et al. (2019)

Nat Metab

First human study

The first human trial of Urolithin A — established safety and that the supplement does shift biological markers in a measurable way.

Foundational safety + biomarker data. Without this trial UA wouldn't be in commercial supplements.

Liu CF et al. (2022)

JAMA Netw Open

RCT

Urolithin A improved muscle strength and exercise performance in middle-aged adults at 4 months.

Replicates the muscle-function benefit in a different cohort and a different journal — repeatable, not a one-off.

Ryu D et al. (2016)

Nat Med

Mechanism + animal

Showed Urolithin A triggers cellular cleanup of damaged power plants and extends lifespan in lab animals.

The mechanism paper that started the entire UA research program. Explains *why* the supplement might do anything.

Singh A et al. (2025)

Nat Aging

Source →

RCT (immune)

Urolithin A reduced age-related immune decline in a placebo-controlled trial.

Most recent human study — extends the benefit from muscle to immune aging, both of which matter in perimenopause.

DOI 10.1038/s43587-025-00996-x