TUDCA Dosage: The Doses Used in Human Studies

Studies that gave TUDCA as a fixed daily amount used 500 mg to 2 g a day, while others set the dose by body weight, and the Italian and Turkish medicine labels give 5 to 10 mg per kg a day, usually 250 to 750 mg, in divided doses after meals. The doses below are reported exactly as each study or label gave them.

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Ask how much TUDCA to take and you will find numbers from 250 mg to several grams, often with no source, and sometimes borrowed from bodybuilding forums. Some pages convert study doses by body weight into personal recommendations, which the studies themselves didn't do.

This guide does something simpler. It sets out the doses that were actually used in studies of TUDCA in people and on its medicine labels, exactly as they were given, explains what "per kg" means, and is clear about what remains unknown. It doesn't recommend a dose.

What Is the Typical TUDCA Dosage?

Studies that gave TUDCA as a fixed daily amount used 500 mg to 2 g a day, and we found no study of TUDCA on its own above 2 g [1, 2]. The Italian and Turkish medicine labels give 5 to 10 mg per kg of body weight a day, usually 250 to 750 mg, in divided doses after meals [3, 4].

Those are two different kinds of number. The labels describe how TUDCA is used as a medicine, under a doctor's supervision, mainly for gallstone problems [3, 4]. The studies tested particular doses in particular conditions.

What Doses Have Been Used in Human Studies?

The doses below are shown as each study reported them. Some older studies, like the labels, set the dose by body weight, while most newer ones used a fixed daily amount.

Who was studied	Daily dose	How long
Adults after gallbladder removal	500 mg	3 months
People with chronic hepatitis C	500 or 750 mg	6 months
People with primary biliary cholangitis	500, 1,000 or 1,500 mg	6 months
People with primary biliary cholangitis	750 mg	24 weeks
Adults with obesity	1,750 mg	4 weeks
People with ulcerative colitis	1,750 to 2,000 mg	6 weeks
People with multiple sclerosis	2 g	16 weeks
People with ALS	2 g	54 weeks

The sources for each row are [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [2] and [1]. Our TUDCA safety review lists all 33 studies of TUDCA on its own with their doses.

What Does "Per Kg" Dosing Mean?

Some studies and the medicine labels give TUDCA as milligrams per kilogram of body weight, so the daily amount changes with a person's size. Measured against body weight, adult studies ranged from 3.5 to 20 mg per kg each day [11, 12], while a study in newborns used 30 mg per kg [13].

Dosing by weight means a heavier person takes more and a lighter person less. Early studies measured the effect on bile against the dose per kilogram: in one, in people with gallstones, cholesterol saturation in bile fell as the dose rose [11]. We don't convert those per-kg doses into amounts for individuals, because the studies weren't designed to set personal doses and supplements come in fixed amounts.

How Was TUDCA Taken in the Studies?

The labels give TUDCA in divided doses after meals [3, 4], and trials used one to three doses a day [14, 10]. One large ALS trial gave 1 g twice a day, 10 to 15 minutes after a meal [15], and a metabolism trial split the daily amount across breakfast, lunch and dinner [16]. Our guide to when to take TUDCA covers timing.

Does a Higher Dose Cause More Side Effects?

Two studies give some information on this. In an Italian registry of people with ALS, 5 side effects were recorded among the 20 people taking under 1,000 mg a day and 15 among the 66 taking 1,000 mg or more, which the authors described as no difference [17]. A study in primary biliary cholangitis that compared 500, 1,000 and 1,500 mg a day reported diarrhea as the only side effect, without saying at which doses [7].

The Italian Tudcabil and Turkish Taurolite labels say to lower the dose if diarrhea occurs and to stop if it continues [3, 4]. One ALS trial's protocol let participants drop to 1 g a day for up to two weeks after diarrhea, to adjust [18]. Our guide to TUDCA side effects covers what the trials recorded.

Is There an Upper Limit for TUDCA?

We found no official upper limit for TUDCA. In the US, the FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are sold [19], and we found no FDA limit for TUDCA; Health Canada's ingredient database lists TUDCA but gives no dose or monograph for it [20]. The highest amount of TUDCA alone tested in people is 2 g a day [1]. The Italian and Turkish labels give 5 to 10 mg per kg a day, usually 250 to 750 mg, and leave adjustments to the doctor, without stating a maximum [3, 4].

The Italian label's overdose section names diarrhea, and says other effects are unlikely because the body absorbs a smaller share of TUDCA at higher doses [3].

TUDCA 250 mg vs 500 mg: What Is the Difference?

The difference is the amount in each capsule or serving. TUDCA supplements in the US most often list 250 mg or 500 mg per serving [21], so check how many capsules make a serving before comparing products. The studies above report daily totals, not capsule strengths.

Whatever product you choose, follow its directions and don't exceed the daily amount on the label.

How Much TUDCA for the Liver or Fatty Liver?

In liver studies, people with chronic hepatitis C or primary biliary cholangitis took 500 to 1,500 mg a day [6, 7]. Those doses were used to study liver disease, not to support a healthy liver. For fatty liver, TUDCA hasn't been tested as a treatment, and in a four-week trial at 1,750 mg a day, liver fat did not change [9]. Our guide to TUDCA for liver health covers that research.

Who Should Talk to a Doctor Before Taking TUDCA?

The medicine labels rule TUDCA out in pregnancy, with an active stomach or duodenal ulcer and with some gallbladder and bile duct problems, and the Italian label adds breastfeeding [3, 4]. They also list medicines to space or avoid. If any of these apply to you, or you take prescription medicines, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about whether and how to take it. Our guide to who should not take TUDCA covers each caution.

Where Does TUDCA Fit After Gallbladder Removal?

Dr.Primal's TUDCA is made for life after gallbladder removal and taken with meals, to support healthy bile flow and fat digestion. Its directions are two capsules (500 mg), taken with food.

In Summary: TUDCA Dosage

Studies using a fixed daily amount gave TUDCA at 500 mg to 2 g a day, with digestive and liver studies mostly at 500 to 750 mg and trials in other conditions at 1,750 mg to 2 g. The medicine labels give 5 to 10 mg per kg a day, usually 250 to 750 mg, in divided doses after meals. None of these is a personal recommendation, and the label on your product is the dose to follow.

If you are working out whether bile is behind your symptoms after meals, our digestion quiz is a quick way to put your symptoms and habits in order.

This article is for general education and is not a substitute for advice from your doctor. TUDCA is sold as a dietary supplement. 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.