Want to Stay Strong for Your Grandkids?

Reviewed by SOMA HEALTH's Medical Research Team

The wish is simple and deeply human: to be the grandparent who can get down on the floor for a board game and get back up, carry the little one to bed, keep pace on the walk to the park, and still have something left in the tank. That wish is really about strength and energy as the years add up. This guide looks honestly at what urolithin A can and cannot do to support muscle and cellular energy in aging, and it separates the strong human evidence from the earlier research that is still being worked out.

Why staying strong takes more effort with age

Muscle is not something you keep by default. From around your thirties, adults gradually lose muscle mass and strength, and that decline tends to pick up pace after 60. Clinicians call the age-related version of this sarcopenia, and it is one reason ordinary tasks, like standing from a low couch or lifting a grandchild, can start to feel harder over time. The encouraging part is that muscle stays responsive: it answers to how you use it and how well you support the cells inside it.

At the cellular level, strength and stamina depend on mitochondria, the tiny power plants inside your muscle cells. With age, mitochondria tend to accumulate wear, and the body's ability to clear and recycle the worn ones can slow down. That recycling process, called mitophagy, is a housekeeping system that keeps the mitochondrial pool in good repair. Our guide to mitophagy and our overview of mitochondrial health explain why this matters for energy that has to last.

What urolithin A is, and why food alone may not be enough

Urolithin A is a postbiotic: a compound your gut bacteria produce when you eat ellagitannins, the natural compounds found in pomegranates, walnuts, and some berries. You do not absorb it straight from the fruit; your microbiome makes it. And here is the part that catches most people by surprise. Studies suggest only a portion of people carry the specific gut bacteria needed to convert those food compounds into meaningful urolithin A. Two grandparents could eat the same pomegranate and end up in very different places. That biological lottery is precisely why a standardized supplement exists. You can read more in our page on foods high in urolithin A.

Mechanistically, urolithin A has been studied for its ability to support mitophagy. The landmark preclinical study, Ryu and colleagues (2016, Nature Medicine), reported effects on mitophagy and muscle function in rodents and extended lifespan in the worm C. elegans. This is important groundwork, but it is animal and cell research. It explains a plausible mechanism; it does not by itself prove a benefit in people.

The human evidence, in plain terms

For a decision about your own body, the human trials carry the most weight. Here is what they found, and where the edges of the science are.

First, it was shown to be safe

Andreux and colleagues (2019, Nature Metabolism) conducted the first-in-human study. It reported that urolithin A was safe and well tolerated at doses up to 1,000 mg per day, and that it produced a mitochondrial gene-expression signature in participants, confirming the compound reaches and engages the pathway it targets.

Then, muscle outcomes in the age group that cares most

Two trials stand out for grandparents. Liu, D'Amico and colleagues (2022, JAMA Network Open) studied older adults over roughly four months and reported improvements in muscle endurance. Singh and colleagues (2022, Cell Reports Medicine) studied middle-aged adults over four months, comparing 500 mg and 1,000 mg daily, and reported benefits for muscle strength and exercise performance. Endurance and strength are exactly the qualities behind keeping up on a long afternoon with the grandkids, which makes these the most directly relevant studies for this goal. See our page on urolithin A for muscle for a closer look.

Newer human research broadening the picture

Recent trials add nuance. A 2025 randomized controlled trial in Nature Aging (about 28 days) reported support for the mitochondrial health of immune cells in midlife adults, in the context of inflammaging, the low-grade inflammation that tends to rise with age. A 2024 randomized trial in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition studied resistance-trained men over eight weeks, and a 2025 trial looked at distance runners. These are promising but early, and they span different ages and endpoints.

A 2024 systematic review in Ageing Research Reviews put it plainly: the evidence for targeting aging with urolithin A in humans is still emerging. In other words, this is a compound with a genuinely unusual amount of human data for its category, and still an active area of study rather than a settled one. Our clinical studies summary and the full urolithin A guide lay out every trial.

It is also worth naming what is not proven. You will see urolithin A discussed in connection with joints, skin, heart, and brain. Some of that is preclinical only. For example, D'Amico and colleagues (2022, Aging Cell) reported joint and cartilage effects in osteoarthritis models, meaning animal and lab work, not human trials. Skin, gut, heart, and brain remain areas where early and preclinical research is exploring possibilities. Those are reasons for curiosity, not claims to lean on.

How to think about it if this is your goal

Set realistic expectations. In the human trials, the studied doses ran from 500 to 1,000 mg per day, and benefits appeared over weeks to months of consistent use, not in a single day. SOMA HEALTH is formulated at 1,000 mg per four-gummy serving, at the top of that range. Urolithin A is not a stimulant and will not feel like a burst of energy; it is better understood as steady support for the cells behind muscle and stamina.

It also works best alongside, not instead of, the fundamentals that keep older adults strong: regular resistance or strength-style movement, adequate protein, good sleep, and staying active. A supplement supports those habits; it does not replace them. If you are new to the compound, our pages on how to take urolithin A and the best urolithin A gummies are good next stops.

Finally, an honest and important boundary. This is a structure and function supplement meant to support normal muscle function and cellular energy. It is not a treatment for sarcopenia, frailty, weakness, or any medical condition, and it is not a way to reverse aging. If you are noticing real changes in strength, balance, or stamina, that is a conversation to have with your own doctor, who can assess the whole picture and recommend care. Think of urolithin A as one supportive piece, not a medical solution.

*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. This guide is educational and is not a substitute for advice from a qualified healthcare provider.