Expert Position
Stanford neuroscientist, host of the Huberman Lab podcast
Andrew Huberman's alpha-GPC number changed. On the 2022 episode most sites still quote he said he takes 300 milligrams three to four times a week. In a July 2026 Q&A he gave 600 to 900 milligrams before a hard workout and cut the frequency to "once or twice a week, maybe three times maximum" - a higher dose taken less often, because he says taking it more than three or four times a week gives a diminished effect.
The current dose, given in a July 2026 Q&A
“600 milligrams to 900 milligrams of alpha GPC taken simply with water will give you a increase in focus and alertness that you can devote to that high intensity or moderate in to high intensity workout”
Andrew Huberman · Jul 2026 · watch @ 4:08 →
The frequency cap he added in the same episode
“So, I would reserve taking the alpha GPC to just maybe once or twice a week, maybe three times maximum”
Andrew Huberman · Jul 2026 · watch @ 8:05 →
The garlic pairing, and the amount
“anytime you're going to take alpha GPC, you should take 600 milligrams of garlic along with it”
Andrew Huberman · Jul 2026 · watch @ 7:45 →
The stroke caveat, stated with the dose that concerns him
“there was one paper a few years back that suggested that perhaps people who use alpha GPC regularly at high dosages, so 900 milligrams multiple times throughout the day over long periods of time may have increased risk of stroke and other cardiovascular insults”
Andrew Huberman · Jul 2026 · watch @ 6:39 →
The older 300 mg figure most sites still cite, from 2022
“I will often take 300 milligrams of Alpha GPC prior to workouts or prior to cognitive work bouts. But when I say often, I tend to do this anywhere from three to four times a week, typically not every day”
Andrew Huberman · Jul 2022 · watch @ 101:59 →
None of the other 4 experts takes a positive position on Alpha-GPC.
600 to 900 mg before a high-intensity workout, as of a July 2026 Q&A. That supersedes the 300 mg figure from his 2022 brain-chemistry episode, which is the number most sites still quote. He also lowered the frequency at the same time, to once or twice a week and three times at most.
Because alpha-GPC raises TMAO, a metabolite he links to cardiovascular risk, and he says it does so "pretty potently." His fix is 600 mg of garlic taken alongside it - allicin in garlic inhibits part of the gut conversion that produces TMAO. He says take it together if you can, or within 12 to 24 hours.
Huberman cites a paper associating high chronic intake - 900 mg multiple times a day over long periods - with increased stroke and cardiovascular risk. In 2022 he said the data "are still out on that" and more is needed. His own use is intermittent and well below that pattern.
He describes it as unusual among focus compounds because it does not hinder REM or slow-wave sleep, and has been shown to modestly increase REM. That is why he distinguishes it from classic stimulants like caffeine, which act on the sympathetic pathway.
Huberman says no. He states that taking it more than three or four times a week produces a diminished effect, and recommends reserving it for the workouts that actually need it - going in rested instead, which "doesn't require taking anything."