Does Phosphatidic Acid Really Grow Muscle Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Supplements Does Phosphatidic Acid Really Grow Muscle by TC Luoma November 30, 2021December 8, 2021 Tags Nutrition & Supplements Phosphatidic acid is a phospholipid known to increase mTOR, a naturally occurring substance that regulates muscle growth – if you increase mTOR, you increase muscle protein synthesis. When reviewing the studies on phosphatidic acid (PA), you'll find conflicting results – some show significant effects on muscle mass, and a couple don't. Consuming phosphatidic acid definitely can increase protein synthesis significantly. But the reason some studies show negligible results is due to two things: price and dosage, and the two are inextricably linked. Research studies are often financed by people who have a vested interest in the product. It may raise your suspicion antennae, but it makes sense. Who else is going to dish out money to investigate a substance, especially one that isn't going to save the world from some disease? So yeah, manufacturers of phosphatidic acid financed most of the studies. The problem is, phosphatidic acid is expensive, and the price sweet-spot for most sports supplements is between $29 and $49. With retail affordability most likely the motivation, some researchers set the PA doses too low and below the level to significantly increase muscle gains. Additionally, with phosphatidic acid, there's no apparent cumulative effect. You either reach the threshold level where it notches up mTOR production to make a noticeable difference, or you don't. That’s why the studies that used larger doses of PA showed good results: 3.75 pounds of extra muscle over an 8-week period Adding almost four more pounds of muscle just by adding PA is a pretty good anabolic leverage. Biotest has been selling and using phosphatidic acid for several years now, and our accumulated experiential knowledge of the product has led us to some conclusions. For one, the common dosage recommendations need to be flushed down the vortex of the toilet. Taking 750 mg doesn't give the best results. Neither does 375 or 250 mg. Contrary to what the economically minded say, you need to take a full gram of phosphatidic acid – that's 4 capsules of Biotest's Micro-PA product – one hour before your brutal workout. That's when phosphatidic acid increases mTOR to a significant degree, and phosphatidic acid can make a big difference in gains. Combine it with 5 grams of leucine – from free-form L-leucine, Metabolic Drive protein, Plazma professional workout formula, or whey isolate – and that's when phosphatidic acid shines. Furthermore, you probably shouldn't use phosphatidic acid more than once a week. You heard me. Once a week. Phosphatidic acid should be saved for the biggest, baddest workout of the week, the one you plan out. The one you anticipate with a mix of excitement and trepidation. Don't waste your money by using PA for non-focused casual workouts. You'll get a noticeable muscle-gaining boost from once-per-week dosing. This protocol will also end up being an economical one because you're only using it once a week. The 60-capsule bottle suddenly becomes nearly a 4-month supply instead of a month's supply. Here's the dosing summary: Take 1 gram of phosphatidic acid per dose, one hour before training. Use PA only once per week on your hardest workout day. Consume 5 grams of L-leucine during the workout. Bagheri, Reza, et al. "Whole Egg Vs. Egg White Ingestion During 12 Weeks of Resistance Training in Trained Young Males," Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Dec. 9, 2020. Vliet, Stephan Van, "Consumption of whole eggs promotes greater stimulation of postexercise muscle protein synthesis than consumption of isonitrogenous amounts of egg whites in young men." Am J Clin Nutr, October 4th, 2017. Hoffman JR, Stout JR, Williams DR, Wells AJ, Fragala MS, Mangine GT, Gonzalez AM, Emerson NS, McCormack WP, Scanlon TC, et al. "Efficacy of phosphatidic acid ingestion on lean body mass, muscle thickness and strength gains in resistance-trained men," J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2012;9(1):1. Joy JM, Gundermann DM, Lowery RP, Jäger R, McCleary SA, Purpura M, Roberts MD, Wilson SM, Hornberger TA, Wilson JM. "Phosphatidic acid enhances mtor signaling and resistance exercise induced hypertrophy." Nutr Metab. 2014;11:1. Andre TL, Gann JJ, McKinley-Barnard SK, Song JJ, Willoughby DS. "Eight weeks of phosphatidic acid supplementation in conjunction with resistance training does not differentially affect body composition and muscle strength in resistance-trained men." J Sports Sci Med. 2016;15:532–539. Escalante G, Alencar M, Haddock B, Harvey P. "The effects of phosphatidic acid supplementation on strength, body composition, muscular endurance, power, agility, and vertical jump in resistance trained men." J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2016;13(1):1. Gonzalez AM, Sell KM, Ghigiarelli JJ, Kelly CF, Shone EW, Accetta MR, Baum JB, Mangine GT. "Effects of phosphatidic acid supplementation on muscle thickness and strength in resistance-trained men." Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism (ja). 2017. As an Amazon Associate, T Nation earns from qualifying purchases. When you buy something, using the retail links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. T Nation does not accept money for editorial reviews. Read more about our policy. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Supplements Tip This Vitamin Flat-Out Builds Muscle The evidence is strong that it burns fat, too. Here's the science. Building Muscle, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips, Vitamin D TC Luoma November 19 Supplements Single-Digit Bodyfat Smash the Plateau It's easy to go from fat to lean-ish, but fat loss can easily stall when your goal is to get truly shredded. Here are three things you need to know. Diet Strategy, Fat Loss Training, Losing Fat, Nutrition & Supplements Akash Vaghela March 28 Eating Tip The Protein Supplement for Knee Pain Reduce knee pain fast with this research-backed diet hack. Mobility, Nutrition & Supplements, Performance Proteins, Protein, Tips Tessa Gurley August 9 Eating Glutamine Destroying the Dogma - Part 1 Does glutamine live up to the hype? Not really. Here’s why. Bodybuilding, Nutrition & Supplements, Performance Proteins Dave Barr October 11