While reading Mitopure reviews online from different discussion forums, we encountered a conversation where the discussion was about Mitopure during pregnancy. Women claimed information which is not scientifically proven.
As a leading dietary supplement provider, it's our responsibility to protect consumers and readers from misinformation.
Key Takeaway
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The claim: Mitopure can be taken during pregnancy.
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What the evidence says: The data in this context remains limited. The safety of Mitopure during pregnancy has not been established.
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The truth: Mitopure has not been adequately evaluated in pregnant or breastfeeding women, so its safety in these populations has not been established. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should consult their healthcare provider before starting Mitopure or any supplement.
What research says: Let’s talk about scientific evidence
Urolithin A has human safety data. For example, clinical research has evaluated 500 mg and 1,000 mg doses in healthy adults and reported a favourable short-term safety profile.
But that does not establish safety during pregnancy. The study participants did not include pregnant women. It clearly mentioned in the conclusion that more research is required on different physiological systems and for longer intervention periods.
“According to the abstract of this systematic review indexed in PubMed it mentions,
“In five studies including 250 healthy individuals, Urolithin A (10-1000 mg/day) for a duration ranging from 28 days to 4 months showed a dose-dependent anti-inflammatory effect and upregulated some mitochondrial genes, markers of autophagy, and fatty acid oxidation. It did not affect mitochondrial maximal adenosine triphosphate production, biogenesis, dynamics, or gut microbiota composition. UA increased muscle strength and endurance; however, had no effect on anthropometrics, cardiovascular outcomes, and physical function. Unrelated adverse events were mild or moderate. Further research across more physiological systems and longer intervention periods is required.”
SOURCE:
Kuerec AH, Lim XK, Khoo AL, Sandalova E, Guan L, Feng L, Maier AB. Targeting aging with urolithin A in humans: A systematic review. Ageing Res Rev. 2024 Sep;100:102406. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2024.102406. Epub 2024 Jul 11. PMID: 39002645.
Misinformation on Mitopure: What do we mean?
Nutriessential team was doing market research on Mitopure. They found misinformation in one of the community discussion forums. Two women shared their Mitopure experience during pregnancy.
One woman was already taking Mitopure. According to her, she had a good experience with Mitopure. Energy levels and muscle strength were the main benefits she experienced. During this journey, she found out about her pregnancy. She could not find any information on the internet about Mitopure in pregnancy, so she initiated a community discussion asking, “ Has anyone taken Urolithin A or Mitopure during pregnancy?”
She says, “ I’ve been taking Mitopure, a urolithin A supplement, regularly for almost 6 months and I’ve been loving the way my body has responded. Noticeable increase in sustained energy and muscle strength are the main benefits I’ve experienced and I’d like to continue to see more benefits compound over time. However I just found out I am pregnant and cannot find anything on the internet on pregnancy and safely taking urolithin A. I understand most supps are not recommended or even ethically studied during pregnancy and breastfeeding. However Mitopure is said to stimulate mitochondrial renewal function and re-energize cells. I have found some posts here about women taking this during their IVF protocols to improve fertility - but nothing about taking during pregnancy. Urolithin A is a natural derivative of pomegranates, which Mitopure delivers in a high dose of 500mg. Any doctors on here have an opinion? Any women with experience taking it throughout pregnancy? I feel like it would be an incredibly supportive supplement during pregnancy.”
Nutriessential verdict: This is an unsupported safety claim
The absence of pregnancy-specific evidence means that the safety of Mitopure during pregnancy has not been established. There is a lack of data in this context. Every pregnant woman should consult their healthcare provider before starting any supplement.
Experiences reported during fertility treatment should not be interpreted as evidence that Urolithin A is safe after conception. Fertility treatment, pregnancy and breastfeeding involve different physiological considerations and safety questions.
Relying on other people's experiences to decide whether to start a supplement during pregnancy can be unsafe. Personal experiences cannot establish efficacy or safety, particularly when pregnancy-specific clinical evidence is unavailable.
According to Timeline's product information, Mitopure has not been evaluated in pregnant or nursing women, and the company advises consultation with a healthcare practitioner before starting it.
Discussion continued…….
The other woman continued the discussion saying,
“I tried to stop taking it once I got pregnant, but I noticed a significant decrease in my energy levels. I've been experimenting a bit with taking one capsule a day and I do notice a difference. If you think about how you metabolize different medicines or supplements in your body, a small amount will likely not even make it to your fetus, so I feel comfortable with taking smaller doses. I am currently 10 weeks and really struggling with exhaustion. I'd really like to hear from others.”
The other woman replied, “Thank you so much for sharing! How’s the 1 capsule going for you? I am 11 weeks today and still considering trying 1 capsule for energy benefits. My only thoughts were how positively I felt like it affected my muscle mass, and how that might affect a growing baby..? lol it’s just refreshing to hear from someone who is experimenting.”
Nutriessential verdict continued….
This review is based on the assumption from a single person.
The assumption that a lower dose is unlikely to reach the fetus cannot be used to establish safety. Fetal exposure and potential effects depend on the substance, its pharmacokinetics, placental transfer and other factors.
Such personal experiences should never be considered.
If someone is experiencing low energy levels during pregnancy, then it is important to discuss it with your healthcare provider and find a solution. You should not start any supplement without consulting your healthcare provider.
Some informed people joined. Discussion continued….
Now, in the same discussion thread, some informed people joined the conversation.
One person said, “Urolithin A looks very safe, but there haven’t been any pregnancy studies, obviously so to simply put, we don’t know how it will affect the pregnancy. So in my opinion I say don't take it. I just don’t see it being worth the risk, because if something does happen to the baby due to the Urolithin, it could have been easily avoided.”
The other one said, “I’m curious about taking it while breastfeeding. I’m only breastfeeding 2x a day now (daughter is 16m) and I’ve been looking at taking this for a while for my health but hesitant to bc everything basically says avoid bc we just don’t know.”
Nutriessential verdict
Such discussions are helpful. They show people the right direction because they are those who believe in making informed decisions for their health.
Why we wrote this article
Commenters actually expressed appropriate uncertainty. As a dietary supplement provider where we ship the latest batch supplements directly from manufacturers, its our responsibility to provide our customers with the right information.
We always encourage our consumers to consult their healthcare provider before starting any supplement.
Final takeaway
With this case study, Nutriessential wants to give only one message to the readers:
Every pregnant and breastfeeding woman should consult their healthcare provider before starting any supplement. Self- supplementation should be strictly avoided. Do not get carried away by the community discussions. People only share their experience, and everybody’s experience is unique, so it cannot be applied to you.
More importantly, only an expert can tell you whether the information you are believing from community discussions is right or not.
Community discussions can be useful for identifying questions, but they should not be treated as evidence of safety. A person's positive experience does not establish that a supplement is safe for another person, particularly during pregnancy or breastfeeding. When pregnancy-specific safety data are unavailable, the appropriate approach is to discuss the supplement with a qualified healthcare professional rather than rely on anecdotal experiences.
Source
Source: Has anyone taken Urolithin A or Mitopure during pregnancy
