Pregnenolone supplements with the fewest additives
Pregnenolone may help improve hormone levels and fight aging, but many pregnenolone supplement brands contain more than just pregnenolone. For example, silica or silicon dioxide are often added to prevent caking, magnesium stearate or stearic acid for easier manufacturing, hypromellose (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose) as an emulsifier or thickener, and lecithin as an emulsifier.
I try to avoid these additives because they may have questionable health effects. If you want to do the same, my recommendations for the purest pregnenolone supplements are:
Recommended as low-additive gelatin capsules:
- silica-free / silicon-dioxide-free
- stearic acid-free / magnesium stearate-free
- hypromellose-free / hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-free
- lecithin-free
Pregnenolone, rice flour, gelatin.
NOTE: I'M WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION OF THIS PRODUCT'S INGREDIENTS. Available outside the US.
- silica-free / silicon-dioxide-free
- stearic acid-free / magnesium stearate-free
- hypromellose-free / hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-free
- lecithin-free
Micronized pregnenolone, rice flour, gelatin capsule.
Recommended as a low-additive veggie capsule:
- silica-free / silicon-dioxide-free
- stearic acid-free / magnesium stearate-free
- lecithin-free
- may contain hypromellose / hydroxypropyl methylcellulose
Pregnenolone, hypo-allergenic plant fiber (cellulose from pesticide-free Southern pine, probably hydroxypropyl methylcellulose), vegetarian capsule (cellulose from pesticide-free Southern pine, probably hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, water).
- silica-free / silicon-dioxide-free
- stearic acid-free / magnesium stearate-free
- lecithin-free
- contains hypromellose / hydroxypropyl methylcellulose
Pregnenolone, rice flour, plant cellulose capsule (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose from Capsugel).
Recommended as pure powders/liquids:
- silica-free / silicon-dioxide-free
- stearic acid-free / magnesium stearate-free
- hypromellose-free / hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-free
- lecithin-free
Pure pregnenolone powder.
I like IdeaLabs because it's made up of a few people designing custom supplements for their own use, and then sharing them.
For international orders, order from this page. You may need to sign up for RayPeatForum and contact the user Haidut (the owner of the company) to coordinate international shipping.
- silica-free / silicon-dioxide-free
- stearic acid-free / magnesium stearate-free
- hypromellose-free / hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-free
- lecithin-free
Pregnenolone, vitamin E (mixed tocopherols, 95%), organic olive oil.
In the UK?
Health Monthly has the Swanson pregnenolone for a reasonable price.
Testing pregnenolone levels
I suspect pregnenolone to be harmless enough that it isn't necessary to monitor your blood levels, but if you're curious about it, I've compiled a list of blood test providers. It's more expensive than most bloodwork: you'll spend around $100 if you order it yourself.
Other pregnenolone supplements
The following are other pregnenolone supplements I'm aware of, sorted alphabetically.
| Name | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| Country Life Pregnenolone (Veggie Capsules) | Pregnenolone, cellulose, cellulose (capsule shell), calcium silicate, silica, magnesium stearate. |
| Designs For Health Pregnenolone (Continuous-Release Tablets) | Pregnenolone, lecithin, microcrystalline cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, pectin, sodium bicarbonate, silica dioxide, stearic acid, turmeric. |
| Douglas Labs Pregnenolone (Sublingual Tablets) | Pregnenolone, mannitol, cellulose, silica, vegetable stearate. |
| Life Extension Pregnenolone (Gelatin Capsules) | Pregnenolone, rice flour, gelatin, vegetable stearate. |
| LifeLink Pregnenolone (Gelatin Capsules) | Pregnenolone, microcrystalline cellulose, gelatin. |
| Nature's Plus Ultra Pregnenolone | Pregnenolone, bioperine (bioavailability-enhancing phytonutrient) (from Piper nigrum fruit), silica, vegetable cellulose (USP) and purified water. |
| Nutri-Meds Pregnenolone | Pregnenolone, magnesium stearate, dicalcium phosphate, pharmaceutical glaze. |
| Nutricology/Allergy Research Group Pregnenolone | Pregnenolone, Micosolle™, microcrystalline cellulose, vegetable oil, vegetable wax, Cab-o-sil®, magnesium stearate. |
| Only Natural Pregnenolone (Capsules) | The manufacturer's site only mentions pregnenolone, vitamin E, and vitamin C, but there are almost certainly other unlisted ingredients to make the capsule shell. |
| Ortho Molecular Pregnenolone (Tablets) | Pregnenolone, isomalt, natural cane sugar, citric acid, stearic acid, sodium croscarmellose, silicon dioxide, potassium bicarbonate, natural cherry flavor (MSG-free), magnesium stearate, cranberry powder. |
| Physiologics Pregnenolone (Gelatin Capsules) | Pregnenolone, rice flour, gelatin, vegetable magnesium stearate, silica. |
| Premier Research Labs Pregnenolone (Veggie Capsules) (and yes, the seller's description is slightly insane) | Pregnenolone, stabilized rice protein, vegetable cellulose capsule. |
| Smart Basics Pregnenolone (Gelatin Capsules) | Pregnenolone, kosher gelatin (capsule), cellulose, magnesium stearate and silicon dioxide. |
| Source Naturals Pregnenolone, Cherry Flavored (Tablets) | Pregnenolone, mannitol, sorbitol, hydroxpropyl methylcellulose, natural cherry flavor, modified cellulose gum, colloidal silicon dioxide, stearic acid, and magnesium stearate. |
| Superior Source Pregnenolone (Sublingual Tablets) | Pregnenolone, lactose (milk) and acacia gum. |
| Swanson Ultra High Potency Pregnenolone (Gelatin Capsules) | Rice flour, gelatin. May contain magnesium stearate. May contain silica. |
| Vitacost Pregnenolone (Gelatin Capsules) | Pregnenolone, gelatin (capsule), cellulose, magnesium stearate and silicon dioxide. |
| Vital Nutrients Pregnenolone (Veggie Capsules) | Pregnenolone, rice powder, vegetable cellulose capsule, silica. |
| Vitamin Shoppe Pregnenolone | pregnenolone, rice flour, gelatin, silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate. |
Looking for Ark of Wellness pregnenolone?
I believe Ark of Wellness was shut down so the founder could focus on another business. I think their pregnenolone was the same as Health Natura's, so they'd be a good replacement.