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Deals

Alpha-GPC and motivation: grade C

Limited evidence. Direction: Benefit.

C LimitedSubjective outcome onlyShort-term only

Educational guidance, not medical advice

Why this grade

Rubric condition met: C: one small single-blind RCT in healthy volunteers

One single-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 39 healthy volunteers over 2 weeks found a tendency toward higher self-rated motivation and significantly higher night-time motivation, with no effect on anxiety ratings. It was publicly funded. The single-blind design and self-report scale limit confidence, and the dose is not stated in the abstract.

How we grade evidence

Studies this grade rests on

Alpha-Glycerylphosphorylcholine Increases Motivation in Healthy Volunteers: A Single-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Human Study.

Tamura Y, Takata K, Matsubara K. Alpha-Glycerylphosphorylcholine Increases Motivation in Healthy Volunteers: A Single-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Human Study Nutrients, 2021. PMID 34207484

Result not recorded
Design
Single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 2 weeks
Sample
n = 39
Population
Healthy volunteers
Funding
Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP)

Search and history

Search (): TITLE_ABS:("alpha-GPC" OR "alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine" OR "glycerylphosphorylcholine") AND TITLE_ABS:(motivation OR mood)

  • Graded C (proposed): Proposed in the monograph draft
  • C to C (approved): Editor sign-off November 13, 2026: grade matches the editor-approved final page