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Trace mineral

Lithium (microdose) · Microdosed Lithium (Lithium Orotate)

Trace lithium in drinking water correlates with less dementia in several ecological studies. Nobody has run the trial.

D
Evidence grade
Mostly animal

Short answer

An intriguing signal with zero direct trial evidence at supplement doses. Cheap and probably safe, but genuinely unproven.

Product and dose overview

Lithium (microdose) (Microdosed Lithium (Lithium Orotate)) is a trace mineral with evidence grade D, meaning it is primarily supported by animal studies. We track 1 products containing Lithium (microdose). Typical doses range from 1 to 1 mg per serving. The top-ranked product scores 6.3 out of 10 on our composite scale (dose, evidence, price, testing, transparency). Prices range up to $89.00 per month.

Evidence grade: D Products in database: 1 Category: Trace mineral

Top Lithium (microdose) products

ProductBrandDosePrice/mo3rd-party testedScore
NOVOS CoreNOVOS Labs1 mg$89.00Yes6.3

Scores are editorial judgments, not a scientific standard. See how we score.

What it is

The same element psychiatrists use at high doses for bipolar disorder — but here at doses a few hundred times lower, close to what occurs naturally in some drinking water.

Why people take it

Regions with slightly more lithium in the tap water tend to have lower dementia rates, and a 2024 systematic review confirmed the pattern across studies. But these are population correlations, not experiments. The microdose itself has never been tested in a proper prevention trial.

Our verdict

An intriguing signal with zero direct trial evidence at supplement doses. Cheap and probably safe, but genuinely unproven.

Structure & class

Elemental lithium at 0.3 to 5 mg/day (vs 600-1800 mg in psychiatry), usually as lithium orotate. Proposed mechanisms include GSK-3β inhibition and autophagy modulation.

Mechanism & clinical data

Muronaga et al. 2024 systematic review of drinking-water lithium studies found consistent inverse associations with dementia incidence and mortality. Kessing et al. 2017 (Danish registry) found nonlinear dose-response in municipal water lithium vs dementia. A trace-lithium study in Texas (Fajardo et al. 2018) linked higher water lithium to lower Alzheimer's mortality change over time. All ecological; one small RCT of low-dose lithium (300 µg/day) in Brazilian AD patients reported cognitive stabilization over 15 months but remains unreplicated.

Pharmacokinetics

Renal elimination, half-life ~24 hours at these doses; tissue accumulation minimal.

Dose & forms

Trial dose
1 mg
/ day
Range in trials
1 to 5 mg
/ day
Common forms
Lithium orotate, Lithium aspartate

What to watch out for

Orotate form has no comparative pharmacology data. Do not combine with prescription lithium or use with kidney disease. The ecological fallacy is real: water-lithium regions differ in many ways.

Where this dose comes from

The trial dose above is our editorial pick from the published human trials for this ingredient. We choose the dose that the best-available studies used on the endpoint most relevant to longevity. The range shows the lowest and highest doses tested in published trials. The landmark studies below are the papers we read to set it. You can click through and check our work.

When new trials publish, our automated sweeps flag them. If a new study materially changes the dose, we update it through editorial review and record the old dose, new dose, and the triggering study in every affected product's recommendation history. The dose is never changed automatically.

Regulatory status

EUPermitted as food supplement (low doses)
USDietary supplement
UKPermitted
CANHP permitted (restricted dose)

Timeline

Regulatory events, evidence grade changes, and key research milestones for Lithium (microdose), most recent first. Studies link to the paper; regulatory entries name and link the responsible authority.

  • 2025-04 Regulatory single source
    EU Court sharpens the bar for botanical health claims
    A Court of Justice of the European Union ruling in April 2025 further tightened the requirements for how botanical ingredients (herbs, plant extracts) can be marketed with health claims in the EU, effectively removing much of the flexibility of the on-hold list.
  • 2024-06 Regulatory confirmed
    EU report identifies 117 supplement substances as potential health risks
    The HoA Working Group on Food Supplements (26 European countries) published its first report evaluating 117 substances used in food supplements. Of these, 65 were assessed as likely novel foods, 6 were already regulated, 34 had insufficient data, and 12 were prioritized for Article 8 restriction under Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006. The 12 priority substances include ashwagandha, curcumin, melatonin, piperine, St. John's wort, coumarin, p-synephrine, maca, holy basil, Melaleuca, black cohosh, and L-tryptophan. The report drew on 1,500 RASFF alerts reviewed between 2017 and mid-2022.
    Source →
  • 2024 Research milestone
    Muronaga et al. 2024 (systematic review)
    Systematic review of ecological studies: higher trace lithium in drinking water associated with reduced dementia incidence and mortality across regions.
    Source →
  • 2018 Research milestone
    Fajardo et al. 2018 (J Alzheimer's Dis)
    Texas counties with higher trace lithium in groundwater showed smaller increases in Alzheimer's mortality over time (ecological design).
    Source →
  • 2006-12 Regulatory confirmed
    EU Health Claims Regulation adopted
    Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 laid down harmonised rules for nutrition and health claims made on foods, including supplements. Only claims listed in the EU Register of authorised claims can be used. Rejected botanical claims are held in a separate on-hold list.
    Source →
  • 1997 Regulatory confirmed
    EU introduces the Novel Food Regulation
    Regulation (EC) No 258/97 required any food or food ingredient without a history of consumption in the EU before 15 May 1997 to be authorised before being placed on the market. This is the framework that captures NMN, spermidine as a supplement ingredient, urolithin A, and many other longevity actives.
    Source →

Landmark studies

Found in these products (1)

All products in our catalog that contain Lithium (microdose), ranked by our overall score. Ranking is editorial, never paid.

NOVOS Labs
NOVOS Core
Longevity stack
Ingredients listed
12 ingredients listedlargest listed: Glycine 1,000 mg
Price per serving
$2.97$89.00 · 30 servings
Testing
3rd-party listed · no public lab certificate

Multi-ingredient bundle

Status as recorded in the catalog from brand materials; not independently verified by NO1GEVITY.

Score & research context 6.3/10

Editorial score, not proof that this product works. Research-dose calculations are not dosing advice.

50%
of trial dose
$14.83
per research-dose day, not label serving
0Trial dose2×
Catalog price · Confirm current price with novoslabs.com
Editorial guides

Buying guides and comparisons

Neighbouring molecules

Related ingredients

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Product shelves
See all in Longevity stack (1)

See Lithium (microdose) in context: the mechanism it acts through, the biomarker it moves, the products that dose it, and the trials that tested it.

View Lithium (microdose) on the Longevity Map →

Frequently asked questions

What is Lithium (microdose)?

The same element psychiatrists use at high doses for bipolar disorder — but here at doses a few hundred times lower, close to what occurs naturally in some drinking water.

What dose of Lithium (microdose) should I take?

The trial dose in published human studies is 1 mg per day, with a range of 1 to 5 mg per day. Always consult a qualified clinician before starting any supplement.

Is Lithium (microdose) safe?

Orotate form has no comparative pharmacology data. Do not combine with prescription lithium or use with kidney disease. The ecological fallacy is real: water-lithium regions differ in many ways.

What is the best Lithium (microdose) supplement?

We track 1 products containing Lithium (microdose). The top-ranked product scores 6.3 out of 10 on our composite scale, which evaluates dose, evidence, price, third-party testing, and transparency. See the comparison table above. Scores are editorial judgments, not a scientific standard.

What is the evidence grade for Lithium (microdose)?

Lithium (microdose) has evidence grade D, meaning it is primarily supported by animal studies. Grade A means replicated human RCTs with hard endpoints. Grade B means human RCTs with biomarker outcomes. Grade C means mixed or small human trials. See our evidence grading methodology.

Independently checked

Data verification

Evidence grade
D
Mostly animal
Research dose
1 mg
Products tracked
1
Updated continuously
Safety signal
Orotate form has no comparative pharmacology data. Do not...

Evidence grades are reviewed when new human RCTs are published. Product counts update automatically as new products are added. Dose ranges reflect published trial data, not brand recommendations. Read how we verify.