Subscribe to get Updates
Nootropedia
No Result
View All Result
  • Nootropics
    • Racetams
    • Natural
    • Cholinergics
    • Unique Blends
  • Brain & Body Support
    • Cognitive Enhancers
    • Food & Nutrition
    • Anti-Oxidants
    • Nutrients & Minerals
    • Hormone Support
    • Inflammation & Immune
    • Fitness & Movement
  • Mood
    • Stress Relief
    • Herbs & Plants
    • Relaxation Strategies
  • Healthy Aging
    • Memory
    • Cellular Health
  • Alternative Solutions
    • Essential Oils
    • Anxiety
    • ADHD
    • Sleep Aids
  • Blog
    • Comparisons
    • Guides
    • How To
HealthNews
No Result
View All Result
HealthNews
No Result
View All Result

Athletic Greens Review: 1 Potentially Harmful Ingredient to Lookout For

June 25, 2019
This post may contain affiliate links.
5.3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on PinterestShare on Linkedin

On any Tuesday afternoon, the owners of Athletic Greens can be found enjoying the sights and sounds of Medellin, Colombia. Choosing this charming South American city seems to be no accident. The inventors of Athletic Greens are on a quest to expand their green powder empire.

Growing in popularity largely due to Tim Ferriss’ promotion, their 75 ingredient blend has some valid and synergistic ingredients. Many of these ingredients enhance cognitive function, longevity, and performance.

Unfortunately, this Athletic Greens review will question whether it’s worth the money, the validity and doses of the ingredients, and one particular aspect that involves fatalities (maybe)…

Quick Navigation

  • Athletic Greens Review of Ingredients
    • Brain Enhancing Athletic Greens Review
  • How and Where to Buy Athletic Greens
  • Is Athletic Greens Worth It?

Athletic Greens Review of Ingredients

With 75 ingredients, no Athletic Greens review would be complete without analyzing them for efficacy. Many companies in the nootropics and supplement industry “fairy dust” dozens of ingredients to claim certain benefits, without any truth to them.

The sign of “fairy dusting” is the lack of doses on the labels. If you don’t have the dose for specific ingredients, there is a good chance it isn’t enough (or at least you have no way of knowing).

Athletic Greens hides many of their ingredients behind proprietary “Complex”, which make it difficult to analyze. One example gives us all the data we need.

Reishi mushroom powder is an ingredient in the Athletic Greens “Digestive Enzyme and Super Mushroom Complex” The entire complex only has 233 mg, reishi powder is the second to last ingredient, and a proper dosage to get any psychoactive benefit from reishi is 1.4 – 5.2 grams alone.

From this example, it is easy to question the doses of any of the ingredients. It seems “a pinch of this, a pinch of that” is the clearest method they’ve used for developing their ingredient list.

athletic greens ingredients

There are many other problems with the ingredient deck as well. While Athletic Greens includes magnesium glycinate (a high quality form of magnesium), they added a paltry 26 mg, which is nearly worthless.

[UPDATE Oct 27, 2017:] This dosage is misleading. According to the Athletic Greens CEO, the mineral amount is recorded on the label (i.e: what our body absorbs). This means that 26 mg is better than I originally thought, but is still lower than daily recommended doses.

Another ingredient may be actively harmful. Vitamin E is an essential nutrient for many enzymes and cofactors. Deficiency is associated with 30% less DHA, which is a major component of fish oil and neurological protective [1].

Athletic Greens has vitamin E as d-alpha tocopherol succinate, which is a small portion of the true vitamin E molecule. In fact, Dr. Rhonda Patrick advises skipping “doing too much” with vitamin E supplements and instead opting for avocados and nuts [2].

The reason?

According to Johns Hopkins, high dose vitamin E may increase risk of dying [3]. Luckily, their study looked at 400 I.U. and Athletic Greens only has 100 I.U.

Taking an all-inclusive supplement can not only be a waste of money at times, but also harm your health.

Brain Enhancing Athletic Greens Review

Even though the Athletic Greens ingredients seem to be focused more on quantity than quality, there are a host of nootropic herbs and extracts that aid in cognitive performance.

Besides the reishi mushroom powder of negligible dosage above, here are a list of the other brain boosting ingredients. One thing Athletic Greens has going for it are the potent extracts. They range from a 4:1 all the way to 10:1 and 15:1 extracts, which suggest high potency even if low dosage.

  • Rhodiola Rosea root extract (5:1) – used by the Vikings to increase stamina and virility, rhodiola root is a great anti-fatigue and de-stressing adaptogenic herb.
  • Ashwagandha root extract (15:1) – thousands of years old, Ayurvedic medicine used ashwagandha root for calming and relaxing purposes.
  • Cocoa bean polyphenol extract – more of a general antioxidant and polyphenol than anything, it’s still a valuable extract. Because it is standardized for antioxidant count rather than caffeine, there is little stimulation effect.
  • Green tea extract (10:1) – green tea is a staple of traditional Chinese medicine and a useful cognitive enhancer particularly for EGCG content.
  • Beta-Glucans – this is the main psychoactive ingredient in medicinal mushrooms, though I’m not sure how the beta glucans are separated and added here.
  • CoQ10 – coenzyme q10 (otherwise known as CoQ10) is a cofactor involved in mitochondrial support. By aiding the mitochondria (the “power factories” of the cell), CoQ10 helps increase energy production.

The major problem with all Athletic Greens reviews is how little they focus on the quantity of ingredients and doses. While the Athletic Greens powder might be great tasting or “healthy” in theory, it may not always be the case in practice.

How and Where to Buy Athletic Greens

Despite what I have said above, there are thousands of people interesting to purchasing Athletic Greens. We must all find what works for us and many people find Athletic Greens helps to fill gaps in their diets.

In the past, Athletic Greens has run into some problems because of their marketing. A $4.95 trial pack of 5 servings turned into an auto rebill 30 days later (charging credit cards automatically in 30 days for $70). They have since changed their approach for the better.

They no longer have an auto-rebill set up, but instead have a package of 30 servings for $97, which translates to about $3.23 per serving (or $6.46 per day if consuming twice per day).

That comes to approximately $194 per month, but the Athletic Greens price for two is $177 so it’s possible to save some money that way.

Interestingly, at the time of this writing, the Athletic Greens Amazon pricing was cheaper than their website. As the screenshot below shows, a subscription of Athletic Greens through Amazon is 5% cheaper than on their website. Get it here.

Finally, this Athletic Greens review wouldn’t be complete without noticing their 60 day money back guarantee (and poking a bit of fun). Athletic Greens says:

“…we’re more than happy for you to return your order within 60 days for a full refund. In fact, we’ll double your money back. Even if you return it empty. Just call to let us know what superior product you’ve found.”

I’d be genuinely curious if they honored that request to provide $100 for free simply for finding a superior product. If they do, that’s an amazing return policy and customer service.

Is Athletic Greens Worth It?

Considering a product “worth it” or not will depend largely upon your needs and desires. While I have poked many holes in the product, it will help many people and especially those who don’t have a great diet.

Those who travel often for work or pleasure might also find Athletic Greens ingredients to fill in the gaps of a poor, travelers diet. Their convenient pack makes it easy to travel with and the Athletic Greens cost isn’t so bad when compared to bushels of green vegetables.

For many people, Athletic Greens is a worthwhile greens supplement that saves time, energy, and safety.

References (Click to Expand)
  1. //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/articles/25855633/
  2. //www.foundmyfitness.com/news/s/fqbeth/vitamin_e_deficiency_causes_a_30_reduction_in_omega-3_dha_which_form_building_blocks_to_repair_damage_to_neurons/comments/n2rttz
  3. //www.hopkinsmedicine.org/press_releases/2004/11_10_04.html
ShareTweetPinShare

STAY IN THE KNOW

Sign up for our exclusive newsletter to keep up
to date with the latest in nootropics and health optimization.
Previous Post

Nerve Growth Factor Stack

Next Post

Benefits of Nicotine: 4 Benefits You Never Thought Of (With a Stern Warning)

Nootropedia

Nootropedia

Nootropedia is meant to be a resource for individuals researching drugs and supplements that are good for brain health, otherwise known as nootropics, and thus we are the Nootropics Encyclopedia. Because of our in-depth coverage of this topic, our community has requested that we cover other brain health topics and "lifehacks" so that has become the focus of Nootropedia.

Related Posts

All You Need to Know about Sugar and Sugar Substitutes
Food & Nutrition

All You Need to Know about Sugar and Sugar Substitutes

May 22, 2020
Qualia Nootropic Energy
Blog

Premium, Pill-Free Cognitive Enhancement: Meet Qualia Nootropic Energy

October 29, 2019
Moringa:  How and Why to Use this Superfood
Food & Nutrition

Moringa: How and Why to Use this Superfood

August 15, 2019
Noocaf Nootropic Coffee Review
Food & Nutrition

NooCaf Nootropic Coffee Review: The Results are Surprising

August 7, 2019
Apple Cider Vinegar
Alternative Solutions

Apple Cider Vinegar

June 27, 2019
Eternus Review: A Breakdown of the New Healthy Aging Product
Alternative Solutions

Eternus Review: A Breakdown of the New Healthy Aging Product

June 25, 2019
Load More
Next Post
Benefits of Nicotine: 4 Benefits You Never Thought Of (With a Stern Warning)

Benefits of Nicotine: 4 Benefits You Never Thought Of (With a Stern Warning)

Recommended

Mind Lab Pro Review: 2 Major Red Flags (and Surprising Science)

Mind Lab Pro Review: 2 Major Red Flags (and Surprising Science)

3 years ago
Paul Stamets Epigenetic Neurogenesis Stack

Paul Stamets Epigenetic Neurogenesis Stack

2 years ago
gabapentin drug

Gabapentin High – Why Gabapentin Recreational Use is Exploding

4 years ago
Top 9 Best Nootropics of 2019 (Updated)

Four Sigmatic Review – What Tim Ferriss Didn’t Say About Mushroom Coffee

4 years ago

Don't Miss

PEA (palmitoylethanolamide):  Benefits & What You Need to Know

PEA (palmitoylethanolamide): Benefits & What You Need to Know

March 17, 2020
Looking for general wellness tips?  A new website just launched you’ll want to see

Looking for general wellness tips? A new website just launched you’ll want to see

February 11, 2020
Rutaecarpine

Rutaecarpine

September 18, 2020
DHM:  More than Just Party Recovery

DHM: More than Just Party Recovery

September 4, 2020
Nootropedia

© 2019 - Optimized Mind dba Nootropedia.com

Quick Links

  • About
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Contact
  • Medical Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Nootropics
    • Racetams
    • Natural
    • Cholinergics
    • Unique Blends
  • Brain & Body Support
    • Cognitive Enhancers
    • Food & Nutrition
    • Anti-Oxidants
    • Nutrients & Minerals
    • Hormone Support
    • Inflammation & Immune
    • Fitness & Movement
  • Mood
    • Stress Relief
    • Herbs & Plants
    • Relaxation Strategies
  • Healthy Aging
    • Memory
    • Cellular Health
  • Alternative Solutions
    • Essential Oils
    • Anxiety
    • ADHD
    • Sleep Aids
  • Blog
    • Comparisons
    • Guides
    • How To

© 2019 - Optimized Mind dba Nootropedia.com