September 29, 2026
Low dose lithium is a trace amount of a mineral found naturally in water and food, tens of times lower than the doses used in psychiatric medicine.
Research in worms and flies links it to longer lifespan.
Population studies link higher natural lithium in drinking water to lower mortality.
A 2025 Nature study found that lithium plays a role in normal brain function in mice and people.
Key facts
- Ares contains 120 mg of lithium orotate, which provides roughly 4-5 mg of elemental lithium. A typical prescription dose of lithium carbonate provides well over 100 mg of elemental lithium.
- Low dose lithium extended lifespan in worms (Zarse et al., 2011) and fruit flies (Castillo-Quan et al., Cell Reports, 2016).
- In Japan, areas with more natural lithium in tap water had lower all-cause mortality (Zarse et al., European Journal of Nutrition, 2011).
- A 2025 Harvard study in Nature reported that lithium is naturally present in the brain and that low levels were linked to memory problems in mice.
- Lithium in any amount deserves care. Read the safety section before taking it.
Isn't lithium a psychiatric drug?
Yes, at high doses.
Lithium carbonate has been used since the mid 1900s to treat bipolar disorder, at doses that require regular blood tests because the gap between an effective and a toxic level is narrow.
Low dose, or "trace," lithium is different.
Lithium is a naturally occurring element. You take in small amounts every day from drinking water, grains and vegetables.
Most of the research described below looks at lithium at or near these natural levels, not psychiatric doses.
What does the research show about lithium and lifespan?
Worms. In 2008, Gawain McColl and colleagues at the Buck Institute reported in the Journal of Biological Chemistry that lithium, at concentrations the authors described as clinically relevant, extended the lifespan of C. elegans worms.
Fruit flies. In 2016, Jorge Iván Castillo-Quan, Linda Partridge and colleagues published in Cell Reports that low doses of lithium extended fruit fly lifespan, even when treatment started later in life.
Higher doses shortened it. The effect worked through inhibition of an enzyme called GSK-3 and activation of Nrf2, the same cellular defense pathway targeted by sulforaphane.
People and drinking water. In 2011, Kim Zarse, Michael Ristow and colleagues studied 18 municipalities in Oita Prefecture, Japan.
Areas with more natural lithium in their tap water had lower all cause mortality. In the same paper, similar low lithium concentrations extended lifespan in worms. Population studies like this show associations, not cause and effect.
What about mice? Direct lifespan studies of low-dose lithium in mammals are still limited. The strongest recent mouse research focuses on brain aging, covered next.
Lithium and the aging brain: the 2025 research
This section describes published science about brain health and disease. It is not a claim about any product or supplement.
In August 2025, Liviu Aron, Bruce Yankner and colleagues at Harvard Medical School published a major study in Nature. They measured dozens of metals in human brain tissue and found that lithium was naturally present and was the one most clearly depleted in people with early memory decline.
They also found that amyloid plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, bind lithium, reducing how much is available to brain cells. In mice, a lithium poor diet accelerated brain changes and memory loss.
Low doses of lithium orotate, a form that plaques bind less strongly, prevented these changes in mouse models and supported memory in normally aging mice.
The doses were a small fraction of those used in psychiatry.
These findings build on earlier human research. A 2017 Danish study by Lars Kessing and colleagues in JAMA Psychiatry linked higher lithium in drinking water to differences in dementia rates across Denmark.
The key caveat: the 2025 results are in mice. Human trials are needed to know whether low dose lithium affects brain aging in people.
Why lithium orotate?
Lithium orotate binds lithium to orotic acid.
It is a common supplement form.
It delivers small amounts of elemental lithium per capsule, which suits a trace-dose approach.
Is low-dose lithium safe?
At trace doses, lithium has a much wider safety margin than prescription lithium.
Still, it is a biologically active element and should be treated with respect.
Please talk to your doctor before taking it, especially if:
- You already take prescription lithium. Do not combine them.
- You have kidney disease or a thyroid condition.
- You take diuretics, ACE inhibitors, ARBs or regular NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, which can raise lithium levels.
- You are pregnant, trying to conceive or nursing.
Long term human data on supplemental lithium orotate is limited.
The bottom line
Lithium is the most controversial ingredient in Ares, and we include it deliberately.
The evidence linking trace lithium to healthy aging comes from several independent directions: lifespan studies in worms and flies, population data on drinking water, and new brain research.
Much of it is still early. We use a trace dose, and we're transparent about exactly what that is.
Learn how it fits with the other five ingredients in My Longevity Stack, and see how it compares in Longevity Supplements That Actually Have Human Data.
FAQ
Is low-dose lithium the same as prescription lithium? No. Prescription lithium provides over 100 mg of elemental lithium per day. A trace dose, like that in Ares, provides around 4-5 mg.
How much elemental lithium is in lithium orotate? Lithium makes up roughly 4% of lithium orotate by weight. So 120 mg of lithium orotate provides about 4-5 mg of elemental lithium.
Is there lithium in drinking water? Yes. Natural lithium levels in tap water vary widely by region, from nearly none to relatively high.
Who should not take low-dose lithium? People on prescription lithium, those with kidney or thyroid conditions, those on certain blood pressure drugs or regular NSAIDs, and pregnant or nursing women should not take it without medical advice.
Published by the SciRouter Editorial Team for general educational purposes. Last updated September 2026.
Educational disclaimer. This article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical advice. It summarizes published scientific research and does not endorse any specific product, supplement, drug, or treatment. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, and any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a licensed physician before starting, stopping, or changing any supplement or medication, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, have a medical condition, or take prescription medication.
