Updated March 23rd 2023
Want to find the best greens powder for you? Not sure if AG1 is what you're looking for, then check out our list of the best on the market in 2023.
Best Super GreensWe answer some of the most commonly asked questions in AG1 Reviews.
The benefits of athletic greens are functionally the same as
taking a good multivitamin and eating some leafy greens. Which all in all isn’t
a bad thing. If we remove some of the more out there health claims the realistic
benefits are.
- AG1 aids digestion
- Supports your immune system
- Promotes brain health
- Improves recovery
- Boosts energy
- Tackles common vitamin deficiencies
There are also a lot of claims about detoxification and anti
free radical benefits, which there is some evidence to support, but it’s not
the main benefit of taking a greens supplement. AG1 do really nail the vitamin profile, being probably the second best greens powder for your daily vitamins and minerals.
Athletic Greens Side Effects
The most common side effect of athletic greens as far as
customer complaints go is digestive issues, this isn’t all too surprising
seeing as the product contains Ashwagandha and whilst this has a host of health
benefits, it is also known to cause this in some people. Other than that a few
people have reported allergy reactions.
Athletic Greens Heavy Metals Contamination
Athletic greens (AG1) has not been shown to be contaminated
with heavy metals although a study conducted by consumer labs found that several
of the 13 greens powders they tested did exceed lead levels, so it is a concern
for several green powder supplements.
According to the marketing information, AG1 contains 75
whole-food ingredients. The manufacturers claim it will give you an antioxidant
load equal to 12 servings of green vegetables in a single scoop. Looking at the label on the packaging, while it may seem
like great value for money because it is packed with a lengthy list of
ingredients, you have to question whether or not many of the elements are
beneficial or add any value to the formula.
Also, wouldn't adding more things to the formula dilute the
effectiveness of any nutrient-dense ingredients and lower the amount contained
in each scoop? While there may be some good quality ingredients in the formula,
getting too little of them isn't going to help you meet your health goals.
We also question the need to cram 75 ingredients into the
formula. We don't think there will ever be space to fit everything you need
into a single 12g serving. And when in history did humans ever go to the length
of consuming 75 different foods every day of their lives?
What does AG1 contain?
AG1 is primarily made up of three proprietary blends:
Alkaline,
Nutrient-Dense, Raw Superfood Complex (7388mg)
Nutrient-Dense
Natural Extracts, Herbs, and Antioxidants (411mg)
Digestive
Enzyme & Super Mushroom Complex (154mg)
The apparent issue we have with this is that although AG1
claims to be made up of 75 whole-food ingredients, they are counting each
component contained in each of the three proprietary blends like it is a
substantive and notable element of the formula.
In reality, some of these ingredients may be present in such
low trace elements in each scoop of AG1 that they could be considered
negligible. They would hardly contribute any of the health benefits they may be
able to deliver in higher doses.
Alkaline, Nutrient-Dense, Raw Superfood Complex: 7.3 grams
Organic spirulina, lecithin, organic apple powder, inulin,
organic wheatgrass juice powder, organic alfalfa powder, organic chlorella
powder, organic barley leaf powder, acerola fruit juice powder extract,
broccoli flower powder, papaya powder, pineapple fresh fruit concentrate,
bilberry fruit extract, beetroot powder, rosehip fruit powder, carrot root
powder, spinach leaf powder, cocoa bean polyphenol extract, grapeseed extract,
green tea leaf extract, liquorice root powder, Lycium berry fruit extract,
ginger rhizome powder, slippery elm bark powder, kelp whole plant powder.
This blend is the bulk of the AG1 review as pretty much everything after this contains so little of each ingredient that it's simply not going to do anything. Ingredients are listed from largest to smallest as is a requirement for most countries that AG1 sells in. Meaning that they do get one thing right here in having Spirulina being the largest ingredient, it's an anti inflmatory with brain protective properties as well as being a rich source of vitamins and minerals and generally has the most overall health benefits of any green powder ingredient. The problem is it's all down hill from there. Organic apple powder which does have some benefit to digestion, but little else beyond it's vitamin content. And by the time we get to alfalfa we can't be dealing with enough to get any of it's unique health benefits. And if that weren't bad enough when we get to things like ginger (which has been shown to work effectively as an anti inflammatory, boost joint health, and even have positive impacts for the heart and brain) you need 3 grams of it for it to work as has been evidenced in numerous studies. As a result we have too many ingredients, with hidden doses, laid out for marketing AG1.
Nutrient-Dense Natural Extracts, Herbs, and
Antioxidants: 411mg
Alkaline pea protein isolate, citrus bioflavonoids extract,
artichoke extract, citric acid, Rhodiola Rosea root dry extract, Eleuthero root
extract, Gotu kola extract, rosemary leaf extract, milk thistle seed extract,
R, S alpha-lipoic acid, ashwagandha root extract, dandelion root dry extract,
hawthorn berry root extract, beta-glucans, policosanol, co-enzyme Q-10, stevia
rebaudiana leaf powder.
Most of these ingredients don't have any major health benefits beyond the vitamins and minerals they contain, but the ones that do such ash Rholdoia need to be dosed at over 200mg, which is simply impossible in this blend which caps out at 400mg. Ashwagandha for example, whilst great for stress, sleep and a host of other things requires 400mg by itself. All in all this is again an overstuffed blend that actually does very little for AG1.
Digestive Enzyme & Super Mushroom Complex: 154mg
Astragalus root extract, bromelain, burdock root powder,
reishi mushroom powder, shiitake mushroom powder, stevia.
The main negative here is that the only one of these ingredients that can be dosed under 200mg and be effective is bromelain, and seeing as the entire blend consists of less than that, most of these athletic greens ingredients are pointless.
AG1 also boosts its health claims by including 38mg of
dairy-free probiotics from Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Bifidobacterium
Bifidum. However, questions have been asked about the stability of non-dairy
probiotics in a green-powder-based environment and whether they deliver any
practical digestive benefits.