Phosphatidylserine · supplement
Evidence tier: limited
A brain membrane phospholipid useful for stress related cortisol elevation and cognitive performance under load.
Phosphatidylserine is a phospholipid that sits in the membrane of every cell, and is concentrated in the brain, where it is part of the fabric that neurons use to signal. The supplement rationale is that topping it up supports that membrane and therefore neuronal signalling, and separately that it blunts the cortisol response to stress. Both are plausible and neither is proven to be what is happening in the people who take it. The mechanism is complicated further by the fact that the source material matters: the fatty acid composition of soy derived phosphatidylserine differs from the bovine brain material used in the original trials, so the molecule in the bottle is not the molecule that generated most of the evidence.
Limited, and the FDA said so in writing. In 2003 the FDA issued a letter of enforcement discretion permitting two QUALIFIED health claims for phosphatidylserine: that consumption may reduce the risk of dementia in the elderly, and that it may reduce the risk of cognitive dysfunction in the elderly. A qualified health claim is not an endorsement, it is the opposite of one. It is what the FDA grants when the evidence FAILS the Significant Scientific Agreement standard, and it comes bolted to a mandatory disclaimer that must appear alongside the claim: very limited and preliminary scientific research suggests that phosphatidylserine may reduce the risk of dementia (or cognitive dysfunction) in the elderly, and FDA CONCLUDES THAT THERE IS LITTLE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE SUPPORTING THIS CLAIM. That sentence is the whole story of this ingredient, and anyone quoting the claim without the disclaimer is quoting half a regulation. The trial base is consistent with the FDA's read. A 2022 systematic review and meta analysis pooled 5 randomised controlled trials (783 people) plus 4 pre post studies, using 100 to 300 mg daily for 6 weeks to 6 months, and concluded that phosphatidylserine had a positive effect on memory in older adults with cognitive decline BUT that the effect was NOT LARGE ENOUGH TO BE CLINICALLY RELEVANT. There is a further catch that most marketing hides: the older and more convincing trials used phosphatidylserine extracted from BOVINE BRAIN CORTEX, a material withdrawn over bovine spongiform encephalopathy risk. Essentially every product sold today is the soy or sunflower derived form, which is a chemically different molecular species, and the evidence for the plant derived form is weaker than for the bovine form it replaced. The stress, cortisol and athletic recovery claims rest on small trials and are insufficient.
100 to 300 mg daily, the range used across the trials pooled in the 2022 meta analysis, taken for 6 weeks to 6 months. Note that this range is transcribed from the trial base, not from an efficacy finding, since the pooled effect on memory was judged too small to be clinically relevant.
100 to 300 mg daily with food. Effects build over 4 to 8 weeks.
Generally well tolerated. Soy derived forms acceptable for most.
Pregnancy: caution
Breastfeeding: caution
Active compounds: phosphatidylserine
Remedies using Phosphatidylserine · Browse by body system · Check it against what you take
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.