Theacrine
Research reviewed: Up until 03/2026
Theacrine (1,3,7,9-Tetramethyluric acid (TeaCrine)) is a dietary supplement with 7 published peer-reviewed studies involving 565 participants, researched for Energy & Alertness, Cognitive Performance, Exercise Motivation and 1 more areas.
Evidence at a Glance
Strength is scored by study design, sample size, study type, and outcomes
Energy & Alertness
StrongCognitive Performance
ModerateExercise Motivation
ModerateMood Enhancement
ModerateResearch Visualised
Visual breakdown of the clinical data.
Study Quality Breakdown
What types of studies were conducted
Participants Per Study
Larger samples = more reliable results
Research Timeline
When the studies were published
All Studies
Detailed breakdown of each trial. Click to expand.
Energy & Alertness
To evaluate theacrine supplementation on energy, alertness, and mood in healthy adults.
Study Type
Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled
Purpose
To evaluate theacrine supplementation on energy, alertness, and mood in healthy adults.
Dose
200 mg/day theacrine
Participants
60 healthy adults
Duration
8 weeks
Results
Theacrine significantly improved energy, alertness, and positive mood compared to placebo. Importantly, tolerance did not develop over 8 weeks, unlike caffeine. No elevations in anxiety or heart rate were observed.
How They Measured It
Profile of Mood States (POMS), energy and alertness VAS, reaction time
To compare theacrine and caffeine on energy, focus, and mood.
Study Type
Randomised, double-blind, crossover
Purpose
To compare theacrine and caffeine on energy, focus, and mood.
Dose
200 mg theacrine vs 150 mg caffeine
Participants
15 healthy adults
Duration
Acute crossover
Results
Both theacrine and caffeine increased energy and focus. Theacrine caused significantly less anxiety and jitteriness than caffeine. Combined theacrine + caffeine showed additive benefits on energy and attention.
How They Measured It
Energy VAS, concentration VAS, POMS, anxiety questionnaire
Cognitive Performance
To assess theacrine combined with caffeine on cognitive performance and focus.
Study Type
Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled
Purpose
To assess theacrine combined with caffeine on cognitive performance and focus.
Dose
175 mg theacrine + 75 mg caffeine
Participants
45 healthy young adults
Duration
Acute
Results
Theacrine + caffeine combination significantly improved attention accuracy, executive function scores, and processing speed compared to placebo and caffeine alone. The combination showed synergistic cognitive effects.
How They Measured It
Cognitive battery: attention, executive function, working memory, processing speed
Exercise Motivation
To evaluate theacrine supplementation on exercise motivation and pre-workout readiness.
Study Type
Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled
Purpose
To evaluate theacrine supplementation on exercise motivation and pre-workout readiness.
Dose
300 mg/day theacrine
Participants
30 trained adults
Duration
4 weeks
Results
Theacrine significantly improved subjective exercise motivation scores and reduced RPE during training. Time trial performance improved by 8% compared to placebo after 4 weeks of supplementation.
How They Measured It
Exercise motivation questionnaire, RPE, time trial performance
To investigate the mechanism of theacrine's stimulatory effects via adenosine and dopamine receptors.
Study Type
Animal study
Purpose
To investigate the mechanism of theacrine's stimulatory effects via adenosine and dopamine receptors.
Dose
24-48 mg/kg theacrine
Participants
Male C57Bl/6 mice
Duration
Acute
Results
Theacrine dose-dependently increased locomotor activity via adenosine receptor antagonism and dopaminergic pathway activation. The mechanism parallels caffeine but with a distinct kinetic profile that may explain reduced tolerance development.
How They Measured It
Locomotor activity, adenosine receptor binding assays, dopamine measurement
Mood Enhancement
To assess theacrine's effects on mood and willingness to exercise.
Study Type
Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled
Purpose
To assess theacrine's effects on mood and willingness to exercise.
Dose
200 mg theacrine
Participants
65 healthy adults
Duration
Acute and 8-week sustained
Results
Theacrine significantly improved POMS vigour scores and reduced fatigue and tension. Motivation to exercise was significantly higher at both acute and chronic timepoints without anxiety increases.
How They Measured It
POMS subscales (vigour, fatigue, tension, depression), motivation to exercise VAS
To characterise theacrine's binding affinity to adenosine A1 and A2A receptors.
Study Type
In-vitro study
Purpose
To characterise theacrine's binding affinity to adenosine A1 and A2A receptors.
Dose
Various theacrine concentrations
Participants
Receptor binding assay (HEK293 cells expressing A1/A2A receptors)
Duration
N/A
Results
Theacrine demonstrated competitive antagonism at both A1 and A2A adenosine receptors with lower affinity than caffeine. This partial antagonism profile may explain theacrine's milder stimulant effect and reduced tolerance.
How They Measured It
Radioligand binding assays, receptor displacement studies
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Theacrine research
There are currently 7 peer-reviewed studies on Theacrine (1,3,7,9-Tetramethyluric acid (TeaCrine)), involving 565 total participants. Research covers Energy & alertness, Cognitive performance, Exercise motivation and 1 more areas. The overall evidence strength is rated as Strong.
The evidence is currently rated as "Strong Evidence". This rating is based on study design quality (randomisation, blinding, placebo controls), sample sizes, study types (5 human studies, 1 animal study), and reported outcomes.
Theacrine has been researched for: Energy & alertness, Cognitive performance, Exercise motivation, Mood enhancement. Each area has its own body of evidence which you can explore in the study breakdowns above.
Yes, 5 out of 7 studies are human trials. The remaining 1 is an animal study. Human trials carry more weight in our evidence scoring system.
