AG1 (company)
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| Formerly | Athletic Greens |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food processing |
| Founded | December 2010 |
| Founder | Chris Ashenden |
| Headquarters | Nevada, , United States |
Key people | CEO Kat Cole |
| Products | Supplements |
| Website | drinkag1 |
AG1 formerly known as "Athletic Greens" is a brand of a daily health supplement in powder form founded in 2010 by Chris Ashenden, a former New Zealand police officer.[1] The product is advertised as a green powder that combines multiple supplements to meet a consumer's nutritional needs.[2]
Background
[edit]AG1 was formulated in an effort by Chris Ashenden to solve for his health issues which included nutrient malabsorption. Dissatisfied by the available medical options to resolve his ailment, Ashenden sought to create a supplement which would aid in covering his nutritional needs, which eventually resulted in the formation of Athletic Greens; later renamed to be AG1.[3][4] Owing to the scrutiny regarding his criminal history, Ashenden was replaced as CEO by Kat Cole in July 2024.[5][6]
Ingredients and nutritional benefits
[edit]Each bag of AG1 contains 75 vitamins, minerals, probiotics, whole food-sourced plant compounds, and adaptogens intended to support energy levels, immune system health, gut health, healthy aging, and hormonal and neural health.[2][7] AG1 claims to bridge the nutritional gaps that can be found amongst individuals.[8] As of 2025, AG1 is a product that is NSF Certified for Sport.[9]
Investments and partnerships
[edit]Tim Ferriss is one of the earliest endorsers who later became and investor of AG1. Ferriss referred to the product in his best-selling book about weight loss, The 4-Hour Body.[10][11] Some other investors and endorsers include Dr. Peter Attia, DJ Steve Aoki, Lewis Hamilton, Cindy Crawford, and Hugh Jackman. AG1 has also partnered with Ripper GC of the LIV Golf League, Andrew Huberman, Joe Rogan, and Lex Fridman.[12][13][14][15] As of January 2025, the company is valued at USD $1.2 billion.[16]
Controversy
[edit]The health benefits of consuming AG1 are found to be considerably vague.[17][16] The scientific methods that are used by AG1 to claim nutritional efforts were criticized by Dr. JoAnn Manson, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, as lacking scientific "rigor":
These are very small randomized trials. Just as a comparison, we do large-scale randomized clinical trials of many dietary supplements... For a multivitamin, we did a randomized control with 15,000 participants for 11 years to document that there was, in fact, a significant reduction in cancer incidence when taking the multivitamin compared to placebo ... That's what I'm talking about when I say rigor.[16]
Charlotte Martin, a dietitian and author makes the statement that the amount of individual nutrients that a user absorbs is insignificant due to the addition of a relatively large quantity of ingredients present in the powdered mixture.[16]
According to Jonathan Jarry of McGill University, the AG1 blend is backed by very little scientific support.[13]
Other critics have pointed out that a significant number of AG1 ingredients' dosages are not disclosed on the label as they are considered "proprietary" and that AG1 includes in it exorbitant amounts of vitamins which are in excess of recommended levels; such as 1,100% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin B7 and 467% of the recommended amount of vitamin C.[16]
References
[edit]- ^ Milne, Jonathan; Wesley-Smith, Mike (October 30, 2024). "AG1 founder Chris Ashenden resigns amid scrutiny of NZ criminal history". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ a b "Athletic Greens Review". www.medicalnewstoday.com. October 20, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ Group, PATI. "The AG1 Phenomenon: How a Single-SKU Supplement Built a $1.2 Billion Empire". www.patigroup.com. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "How the Founder of Athletic Greens, Chris Ashendon, scaled from 0 to a $1.2B valuation". www.headwestguide.com. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ reporters, Staff. "AG1 founder Chris Ashenden resigns amid scrutiny of NZ criminal history". businessdesk.co.nz. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ Milne, Jonathan (November 5, 2024). "Billion-dollar firm founder 'stacks the deck' with leaked recording". Newsroom. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ Hughes, Becky (July 8, 2022). "You Can't Outrun Athletic Greens". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ Slepian, Maggie (March 24, 2025). "I Tried Athletic Greens for a Month–Here's My AG1 Review". Glamour. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ "Official Certified for Sport® Product Certification Listing | NSF Certified for Sport®". www.nsfsport.com. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ "#651: Legendary Investor Bill Gurley on Investing Rules, Finding Outliers, Insights from Jeff Bezos and Howard Marks, Must-Read Books, Creating True Competitive Advantages, Open-Source Strategies, Adapting Mental Models to New Realities, and More". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ Meyers, ByAlyssa. "Athletic Greens gives us the scoop on its podcast advertising strategy". Marketing Brew. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ Golf, L. I. V. (March 31, 2025). "AG1 becomes Official Nutrition Partner of 2024 Team Champions Ripper GC". LIV Golf. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ a b "You Probably Don't Need that Green AG1 Smoothie". Office for Science and Society. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ Ohlheiser, A. W. (May 2, 2024). "The misleading information in one of America's most popular podcasts". Vox. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ "Joe Rogan Experience Podcast Sponsors & Promo Codes". JRE Library. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "The battle over AG1—the influencer-famous, $100-a-month green supplement—is coming to a vending machine or grocery store near you". Yahoo Life. January 30, 2025. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ Huber, Martin Fritz (November 19, 2024). "Influencers Swear By the AG1 Powder Supplement. Does It Actually Work?". Outside Online. Retrieved July 6, 2025.