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Head-to-head evidence comparison — which supplement is right for you?
Citicoline vs Thiamine: Thiamine has the stronger overall evidence (7.5 vs 6/10); they're alternatives for boost daily energy — the best pick depends on your goals. Take the 60-second quiz for a pick tailored to your goals.
Thiamine wins 2 of 3 categories. Both are solid choices — the best pick depends on your specific goals.
Verdict
Probably helps
3 of 5 studies with measurable effects showed benefit.
Top outcomes
Verdict
Too few graded studies
2 of 2 studies with measurable effects showed benefit.
Top outcomes
Shared outcomes (1)
Outcomes where both Citicoline and Thiamine have evidence — compare verdict strength side-by-side.
250-500mg daily
Morning for daytime cognitive enhancement
Cognizin® branded citicoline
50-100mg daily; 150-600mg benfotiamine for neuropathy
With food, Morning with other B vitamins
Benfotiamine (fat-soluble, higher bioavailability)
1-4 weeks
4-8 weeks
1-2 weeks
2-4 weeks
4-8 weeks
4-12 weeks
Is Citicoline Effective in Preventing and Slowing Down Dementia?-A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis
Nutrients (2023) · Meta analysis
Systematic review of 7 studies published 2010 to 2022 in people with mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease or post-stroke dementia, 6 of them pooled in a meta-analysis.
Application of Citicoline in Neurological Disorders: A Systematic Review
Nutrients (2020) · Systematic review
In an animal model of nerve damage and neuropathy, citicoline stimulated regeneration and lessened pain.
Cytidinediphosphocholine (CDP-choline) for cognitive and behavioural disturbances associated with chronic cerebral disorders in the elderly
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2005) · Systematic review
Positive effects on memory
Dietary supplements for dysmenorrhoea
The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (2016) · Meta analysis · n=3101
Supplements versus other supplementsThere was no evidence of a difference in effectiveness between ginger and zinc sulphate (MD 0.02 points, 95% CI -0.58 to 0.62; one RCT, 101 women).
Evaluation of the Efficacy of the Addition of a Combination of Pyrimidine Nucleotides and Vitamin B1 and B12 to Standard Treatment in the Management of Painful Radiculopathy and in the Quality of Life of Patients
Nutrients (2024) · Rct · n=122
Both groups showed pain improvement, but the VAS reduction (control: 24.58 vs. experimental: 31.35) was not statistically significant.
Efficacy of B-vitamins and vitamin D therapy in improving depressive and anxiety disorders: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Nutritional neuroscience (2023) · Systematic review · n=2256
We identified 20 RCTs that matched all eligibility criteria, totaling 2,256 subjects, diagnosed with MDD, GAD, and depressive or anxiety symptoms.
At 500 mg a day for 12 weeks, a randomised placebo-controlled trial in 100 healthy older adults with age-associated memory impairment found greater gains in episodic and composite memory (PMID 33978188). A 4-week controlled trial in 24 older adults with memory deficits gave 500 or 1,000 mg a day and found similar free-recall gains in both groups, so the curve is flat from 500 to 1,000 mg (PMID 9203170). At 1 g a day for 12 months, an open-label randomised trial in 347 people after a first ischaemic stroke found better attention-executive function and temporal orientation than usual care (PMID 23406981). The 2,000 mg ceiling is a 12-week placebo-controlled trial in 62 adults with alcohol use disorder, where citicoline titrated to 2,000 mg a day was well tolerated but did not change cognitive measures (PMID 30457668). The dementia meta-analysis (PMID 36678257) found improved cognitive status in studies of poor quality and gives no doses. No trial found a better dose than 500 mg, so no optimal dose is set.
Both points come from one phase III trial of benfotiamine, a fat-soluble thiamine derivative, in 165 patients with diabetic polyneuropathy (BENDIP, PMID 18473286): 300 mg or 600 mg a day or placebo for 6 weeks. The Neuropathy Symptom Score differed between groups in the per-protocol analysis (p = 0.033) and narrowly missed significance in the intention-to-treat analysis (p = 0.055), and the Total Symptom Score did not differ. Improvement was more pronounced at 600 mg, and both doses were well tolerated, so 600 mg, the highest dose tested, is the ceiling. Thiamine hydrochloride doses were not tested and cannot be read off this axis, and one 6-week trial cannot establish a minimum or optimal dose.
AI-estimated from published studies. Interpret as directional guidance.
Thiamine has a higher evidence score (7.5/10 vs 6/10) and wins in 2 of 3 categories.
For boost daily energy, Thiamine has a higher relevance score (65 vs 60).
No documented interaction was found in the data searched. This does not establish that this exact combination is safe.
The right pick depends on your goals. Answer a few quick questions for a personalised recommendation — or dig into the full evidence on each.