ALPHA GPC 55% GENIUSPURE

Because alpha-GPC isn't something we can sell you, the questions our naturopaths ask about it are a little different: what the evidence actually shows, and what buying it online from overseas really means.

A good fit if

• You've read about alpha-GPC as an overseas brain supplement and want the evidence explained straight
• You're weighing it up against citicoline or choline bitartrate, both of which are legally sold here
• You already understand it won't carry any Australian health claim or quality checks
• You're specifically interested in the research in people with existing memory and thinking problems, not everyday focus

Check with us first if

• You already take an imported alpha-GPC product along with donepezil or another dementia medicine, since that combination is where most of the positive trial evidence comes from
• You're pregnant or breastfeeding. There's no safety data for alpha-GPC in either.
• You take blood pressure medicine or anything else that acts on your nervous system, since most of the safety data comes from injections rather than tablets or capsules

Reference values. There's none for alpha-GPC itself. The nutrient it delivers, choline, has an Australian Adequate Intake of 550 mg a day for men and 425 mg for women. But alpha-GPC has no recommended intake of its own, and Australian listed medicines can't legally use it to help you reach your choline target.

Typical supplemental range. Trials have used a single 315 mg or 630 mg dose, up to 1,200 mg a day, and the trials in people with health conditions mostly used 1,000 mg a day injected into muscle rather than swallowed. None of that gives you an Australian product dose, because alpha-GPC can't legally be sold here as a listed medicine.

Upper level. The NHMRC hasn't set one, and it isn't on Australia's permitted ingredients list (Schedule 1), so there's no limit there either. The closest safety data comes from a single uncontrolled trial of 2,044 people given 1,000 mg a day by injection, then 400 mg three times a day by mouth: 2.14% reported a side effect and 0.7% stopped because of it.

Worth knowing. If choline is what you're actually after, choline bitartrate and lecithin are the forms we can legally sell here. What you need depends on your age, diet and health, so talk to one of our naturopaths.

Food first, where the diet allows it.

• Beef: the source alpha-GPC was first identified in, as part of what helps you absorb iron from a meal
• Human breast milk: occurs naturally; not a practical food source for adults
• Beef liver, pan fried, 3 oz (~85 g): 356 mg choline overall, from any choline-carrying compound, not alpha-GPC specifically
• Egg, hard boiled, 1 large: 147 mg choline overall, from any choline-carrying compound

If any of these sound like you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before you start.

• Know that it isn't an allowed ingredient in Australian medicines. No product has TGA checks on dose, purity or quality.
• You're pregnant or breastfeeding. There's no safety data for alpha-GPC in either.
• Most of the clinical safety data comes from injections into muscle, not the capsules sold overseas.
• The strongest positive trial results come from people already taking donepezil or another dementia medicine, not from healthy adults.
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before you start.