Reviewing the Ingredients
Now that we’ve taken a look at the ingredients, we also wanted to analyse what’s inside, and what isn’t.
Firstly, Athletic Greens does not include Vitamin D in its standard AG1 formula.
Vitamin D is crucial for bone health, immune function, and mood regulation.
It’s also just slightly annoying that it has 75 ingredients, and that some like Vitamin D (which you’d expect inside) aren’t on the list.
Proprietary Blends
A proprietary blend in supplements refers to a combination of ingredients where the total amount of the blend is listed, but not the specific amounts of each individual ingredient.
This lack of transparency can be a concern for several reasons:
- Lack of Ingredient Transparency: It's difficult to determine the quantity of each ingredient, making it challenging to assess the effectiveness of the blend.
- Potential Under-Dosing: Without individual ingredient amounts listed, there's no way to know if the supplement contains effective dosages of each component.
- Allergy and Sensitivity Concerns: For individuals with specific dietary needs or sensitivities, not knowing the exact amounts of each ingredient can be problematic.
Athletic Greens contains four proprietary blends, which we’ve taken a closer look at below.
Our main concern isn’t the choice of ingredients, but more so the doses.
For example, Ashwagandha is shown to likely decrease stress and improve sleep at optimal dosages, but you can’t be sure that Athletic Greens contains the optimal dose, and this is the case for almost ALL nutrients.
Companies often use this measure to make a product seem more premium than it is.
For example, a blend could contain 10 ingredients, 2 of which are very expensive, so they’re listed even if it’s a tiny dosage… while all the cheaper ingredients have much higher doses.
Are we saying this is definitely the case with AG1?
No.
Is it possible?
Most definitely.
But we’ll probably never know, unless Athletic Greens takes a fully transparent approach like Verve V80.
Alkaline, Nutrient-Dense Raw Superfood Complex
The Alkaline, Nutrient Dense-Raw Superfood Complex is as the name suggests a blend of various raw superfoods. While we don’t know the exact dosages of the ingredients, we can say that we like many of the choices.
For example, Spirulina, Chlorella, Alfalfa, Barley Leaf, and Wheatgrass are some excellent greens & superfoods that are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
We’d hope that these are at least 300-500mg doses, because that would be the sweet spot in these types of mixes to get a nice mix of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Active Ingredients: organic spirulina, lecithin, organic apple powder, inulin, organic wheat grass juice powder, organic alfalfa powder, organic chlorella powder, organic barley leaf, acerola fruit juice powder extract, broccoli flower powder, papaya fruit powder, pineapple fruit concentrate, bilberry fruit extract, beetroot powder, rosehip fruit powder, carrot root powder, spinach leaf powder, cocoa bean polyphenol extract, grape seed extract, green tea extract, licorice root powder, lycium berry fruit extract, ginger rhizome powder, slippery elm bark powder, kelp whole plant powder
Nutrient Dense Extracts, Herbs, and Antioxidant Complex
This is a mix of herbs, extracts, and adaptogens that are shown to improve sleep, decrease stress, alongside a list of other benefits.
It includes Ashwagandha Root Extract and Rhodiola Root are both renowned for their adaptogenic qualities, which aid the body in managing stress and enhancing mental performance.
Interestingly, it also includes Stevia, which is a natural sweetener and sugar substitute.
Again, we can only comment on the overall choices since we don’t have the amounts of each individual ingredient. But the ingredient diversity is pretty good.
Active Ingredients: alkaline pea protein isolate, citrus bioflavonoids extract, artichoke leaf extract, citric acid, rhodiola root, eleuthero root extract, rosemary leaf extract, milk thistle seed extract, R,S alpha-lipoic acid, ashwagandha root extract, dandelion whole plant dry concentrate, hawthorn berry extract, beta-glucans, policosanol, coenzyme Q10, stevia leaf powder
Digestive Enzyme and Super Mushroom Complex
The next proprietary blend contains various digestive enzymes that can help digestion, and mushrooms that can increase the bioavailability of other ingredients. Reishi and Shiitake Mushrooms can also assist the immune system, reduce inflammation, promote relaxation, improve sleep and manage stress and anxiety.
Ingredients: astragalus root powder, bromelain, burdock root powder, reishi mushroom powder, shiitake mushroom powder
Dairy-free probiotics 7.2 billion CFU
The final blend is the dairy-free probiotics blend containing 7.2 billion CFU.
Probiotics are live microorganisms, usually bacteria, that are similar to beneficial microorganisms found in the human gut. They are often referred to as "good" or "friendly" bacteria. Probiotics are believed to provide health benefits when consumed, typically by improving or restoring the gut flora.
Often, probiotics are found in dairy products such as Yoghurt, Milk, and Kefir. However, as we’re sure you know, many people are dairy intolerant.
AG1 by Athletic Greens caters to this by including a ‘dairy-free’ probiotic blend.
The two types of probiotics in this blend are:
- Lactobacillus acidophilus is a good kind of bacteria found in your gut. Think of it as a tiny helper for your stomach. It turns lactose, which is the sugar in milk, into lactic acid. This is good because lactic acid makes your gut a bit acidic, which helps to stop bad bacteria from growing there. This little bacterium is great for keeping your digestion on track and helps your body fight off germs. It's also involved in making vitamin K, which is important for healthy blood and bones.
Bifidobacterium bifidum is another friendly bacteria living mainly in your colon and sometimes found in your mother's milk. It looks like a tiny branch under a microscope. This bacterium is like a tiny digestion expert. It helps break down complex foods, like fibers and some starches, which keeps your gut happy. By doing this, it helps your body get more nutrients from the food you eat. It's also good for your immune system, teaching it to tell the difference between helpful and harmful stuff, which keeps you healthier.
