Why AG1 Is Better Understood as a Drinkable Multivitamin
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In this clip from a FoundMyFitness members Q&A, Dr. Rhonda Patrick reviews AG1, formerly Athletic Greens, by looking past the “greens” framing and at what the product actually supplies. Her conclusion is that it makes more sense to treat AG1 as a powdered multivitamin than as a meaningful serving of vegetables or other whole foods.
Dr. Patrick says the listed micronutrients can make AG1 a reasonable option for someone who prefers to drink a multivitamin. However, she considers the amounts in its proprietary superfood, extract, and probiotic blends too small to justify expecting the broader benefits implied by those categories. She presents this as her assessment of the product label.
The practical distinction is substitution. A drinkable multivitamin can help supply selected vitamins and minerals, but it does not reproduce the fiber, food structure, or full mixture of compounds found in fruits and vegetables. Dr. Patrick therefore advises using AG1 only in the multivitamin role, not as a replacement for greens, fruit, or a nutrient-dense diet.
All right. And so the last rapid-fire question I know many of you are interested in was submitted by Teresa. Teresa says, hi, Rhonda. In the interview with Dr. Attia, he mentioned he takes Athletic Greens 1, also known as AG1, daily as part of his supplement regimen. Can you please comment on supplementing with high-quality green powder like AG1? Thanks. Okay. So I do have some thoughts on this. I think that calling For example, Athletic Greens 1 or AG1, a high-quality greens powder, is a little misleading. I think it's more of a multivitamin. In fact, I'm not impressed with AG1 being anything more than a multivitamin. If that is how you prefer to take your multivitamin, I think go for it. It does look like it is a pretty good quality multivitamin.
But if you think you're getting additional benefits, like you're getting greens, From it, that is not likely the case at all. There's very minuscule amounts of the superfood complex and the nutrient extract and the probiotics that are in that blend. So, I mean, the amounts are so minuscule that there's absolutely no way that you should be considering this a greens supplement. It should be a multivitamin. And that is the way to think about it. It is a multivitamin. It is not a superfoods type of supplement. It's not— I don't think it should be replaced for greens or fruits or any other superfoods at all.
So again, if you are looking for a multivitamin and you like to take it in that sort of drink form, then it looks like it's got some pretty decent micronutrients in there, and I do like, you know, the list of micronutrients in there as a multivitamin. But beyond that, it's not going to serve a purpose of being a greens kind of replacement. And even the levels of things like probiotics in there are— it's like a drop in the swimming pool. It's so small, it's more like a placebo. I mean, it's just— it's a very, very minuscule amount of probiotics and also the other— complex things in there as well. So that's my thoughts on it. It seems like it's a high-quality multivitamin if that's the way you like to take your multivitamin.
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