Greens Gone Wrong
Consuming powdered plants is a handy way to fill dietary gaps, but many are filled with testosterone-lowering ingredients. Here's what to avoid.
Not long ago, only health-food hippies consumed green drinks. They'd wake up, check their horoscopes, dust off their auras, and then whip up a grassy green drink for breakfast. Groovy.
But "greens" supplements took off in the 80s as non-hippies realized they should probably consume a vegetable or two every day. Then, COVID hit, and suddenly wellness became a big deal. The sale of convenient green powders skyrocketed.
The only problem? Most supplement makers hadn't evolved since the 80s. Their green powders looked the same as they did decades before, with the same drawbacks.
The Problem with Greens Supplements
1. Kitchen Sink Formulations
It's the oldest trick in the book. Toss in a little bit of everything, especially if that ingredient is buzzworthy, then claim it on the label. Never mind if the supplement contains the right kind, or right amount, of the active ingredient to elicit an effect.
Supplement Company CEO: "People are buying ashwagandha. Throw some in our product! How much? What kind? Who cares? It'll look impressive on the label!"
The kitchen sink tactic is designed for consumers who've vaguely heard that a certain ingredient is healthy but haven't researched it. They're also impressed by the number of ingredients. Supplement manufacturers know this, so they keep shoving stuff into their products: "Our competition only has 26 ingredients. We have 75!" It's very impressive... if you don't how nutrition works.
2. Allergens
Back in the day, wheatgrass was one of the first powdered greens. Sure, it contains some vitamins and minerals, and many think the chlorophyll component "eliminates toxins." But it's also an allergen. Even if you don't experience rashes, hives, bloating, and diarrhea, your body isn't a big fan of eating concentrated grass. Barley grass, alfalfa, and dandelion also cause problems for people with certain allergies. All are common ingredients in greens supplements.
Why do supplement companies include these things? Well, they're cheap. They make good filler and increase profit margins. Also, many green drink fans expect a supplement to contain those ingredients. They don't know why exactly, but they've always been in there. They like the green color and associate it with health. But there are much better plants to choose from.
3. Testosterone-Lowering Ingredients
Green drink makers love things like licorice root, another leftover from the 1980s. They claim it's an adaptogen and may help fight stress. It also contains antioxidants, but every plant does.
Here's what we do know: licorice root lowers testosterone. It contains glycyrrhizin, which reduces testosterone levels by inhibiting the enzyme 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, essential for testosterone production. It also causes hormonal imbalances due to its phytoestrogen content, which mimics estrogen in the body. Licorice root can even increase blood pressure and cause fluid retention.
By the way, the current best-selling greens product on the market contains everything listed above.
All That Said, "Greens" Powders Are Still a Good Idea
Before we looked closer at the ingredient lists, most of us here at T Nation used these supplements. They were an easy way to consume greens without having to actually eat kale and broccoli at every meal. They helped fill any nutritional gaps. But we eventually dropped them. It's hard to justify consuming a testosterone-reducing ingredient when you work for "T" Nation.
So, we formulated our own supplement: Biotest Superfood (Buy at Amazon). We excluded any T-lowering ingredients, potential endocrine disruptors, common allergens, and fillers.
We also focused on more than greens and included the most potent "reds" and "blues." We included inflammation-squashing polyphenols, metabolism-boosting EGCG, and estrogen-fighting indoles, among other things. There's no sweetener and no artificial colors. It only has 18 ingredients, because that's all it needs.
Of course, you don't have to use our stuff. But at least make sure your green supplement is free from any dubious ingredients or needless fillers.
