Are Optimum Nutrition Just Junk? A Full Breakdown of Their Ingredients

Who is Optimum Nutrition?

Optimum Nutrition, a company established in 1986, has one of the top-selling sports protein powders in the world. Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard 100% Whey is their top-selling product. In 2008 Glanbia acquired Optimum Nutrition. Glanbia owns multiple popular brands, including BSN, Slimfast, and more. Does the world's top-selling producer use quality ingredients, junk or junkless?

Supplemental Facts Label

Supplemental facts label is a panel required by the FDA. It must list the names and the quantity of all the dietary ingredients contained per serving and their serving size. All Ingredients must be included either in the Supplemental facts panel or the ingredients list below. Herbal Extracts mentioned within the panel must be listed First by their Known name, then by Latin name (Botanical name), and then by the plant part extracted. Herbal Extracts, Amino Acids, Vitamins, Live microbial, and minerals are all considered active ingredients.

Active and Inactive Ingredients

Active ingredients are the ingredients in supplements that have a physiological effect on the body. These are the ingredients that most health claims are based around like, More Pumps or Faster Recovery. You can usually find these ingredients in the Supplemental Facts panel if you cannot distinguish between the active and inactive ingredients.

Inactive Ingredients are everything else and have multiple functions from making the supplement taste better to helping your body absorb the product better. As there are many benefits, there are also many drawbacks because this is where we find junk like artificial sweeteners, fillers, and binders.

Proprietary blends

Proprietary blends are custom blends of ingredients that make their products unique. They give these blends a Custom name and place it on the label. Companies usually do not want the secret sauce of their products to be made public. To do this they must list the blend’s ingredients in the order of greatest content to the least and declare the total weight. Blends can consist of 99% of one ingredient and 1% of ten others and call it a proprietary blend so pay close attention to the first couple of ingredients on a list.

Optimum Nutrition Website:

https://www.optimumnutrition.com/en-us

Gold Standard 100% Whey Ingredients

Double Rich Chocolate

Ingredient	DSLD Ingredient Categories	Amount Per Serving	Amount Per Serving Unit	% Daily Value per Serving
Calories	other	120	Calorie(s)
Total Fat	fat	1.5	Gram(s)	2
Saturated Fat	fat	0.5	Gram(s)	3
Cholesterol	fat	35	mg	12
Sodium	mineral	50	mg	2
Total Carbohydrates	sugar	3	Gram(s)	1
Dietary Fiber	fiber	<1	Gram(s)	2
Calcium	mineral	130	mg	10
Iron	mineral	0.7	mg	4
Potassium	mineral	210	mg	4

Other Ingredients

Whey Protein Isolate, Whey Protein concentrate, Whey Peptides, Cocoa powder, Lecithin, Natural and Artificial flavor, Acesulfame Potassium, Lactase

Essential AMIN.O Energy Ingredients

Concord Grape

Ingredient	DSLD Ingredient Categories	Amount Per Serving	Amount Per Serving Unit	% Daily Value per Serving
Calories	other	10	Calorie(s)
Total Carbohydrates	sugar	2	Gram(s)	1
Amino Blend	blend	5	Gram(s)
micronized Taurine	non-nutrient/non-botanical
L-Glutamine, Micronized	amino acid
L-Arginine, Micronized	amino acid
L-Leucine, Micronized	amino acid
CarnoSyn	amino acid
Citrulline, Micronized	amino acid
L-Isoleucine, Micronized	amino acid
L-Valine, Micronized	amino acid
L-Tyrosine, Micronized	amino acid
L-Histidine, Micronized	amino acid
L-Lysine, Micronized	amino acid
L-Phenylalanine, Micronized	amino acid
L-Threonine, Micronized	amino acid
L-Methionine, Micronized	amino acid
Energy Blend	blend	160	mg
Caffeine	non-nutrient/non-botanical
Green Tea extract	botanical
Green Coffee extract	botanical

Other Ingredients:

Malic Acid, Natural & Artificial flavors, Tartaric Acid, Silicon Dioxide (SiO2), Calcium Silicate, Citric Acid, Sucralose, Gum Blend (Carrageenan; Cellulose Gum; Xanthan Gum), Lecithin, FD&C Blue #2, FD&C Red #40, Inulin

Serious Mass Weight Gainer Ingredients

Chocolate

Ingredient	DSLD Ingredient Categories	Amount Per Serving	Amount Per Serving Unit	% Daily Value per Serving
Calories	other	1250	Calorie(s)
Total Fat	fat	4.5	Gram(s)	6
Saturated Fat	fat	2.5	Gram(s)	13
Cholesterol	fat	110	mg	37
Total Carbohydrates	sugar	252	Gram(s)	92
Dietary Fiber	fiber	4	Gram(s)	14
Total Sugars	sugar	20	Gram(s)
Added Sugars	sugar	9	Gram(s)	18
Protein	protein	50	Gram(s)	100
Vitamin A	vitamin	750	mcg	83
Vitamin C	vitamin	60	mg	67
Vitamin D	vitamin	5	mcg	25
Vitamin E	vitamin	20	mg	133
Thiamine	vitamin	4.8	mg	400
Riboflavin	vitamin	4	mg	308
Niacin	vitamin	50	mg	313
Vitamin B6	vitamin	5	mg	294
Folate	vitamin	680	mcg DFE	170
Folic Acid	vitamin	400	mcg
Vitamin B12	vitamin	10	mcg	417
Biotin	vitamin	300	mcg	1000
Pantothenic Acid	vitamin	25	mg	500
Choline	vitamin	250	mg	45
Calcium	mineral	600	mg	46
Iron	mineral	8	mg	44
Phosphorus	mineral	590	mg	47
Iodine	mineral	53	mcg	35
Magnesium	mineral	140	mg	33
Zinc	mineral	15	mg	136
Selenium	mineral	70	mcg	127
Copper	mineral	1	mg	111
Manganese	mineral	2	mg	87
Chromium	mineral	120	mcg	343
Molybdenum	mineral	75	mcg	167
Sodium	mineral	570	mg	25
Potassium	mineral	1430	mg	30
Creatine Monohydrate	non-nutrient/non-botanical	3	Gram(s)
L-Glutamine	amino acid	500	mg
Inositol	non-nutrient/non-botanical	250	mg
PABA	non-nutrient/non-botanical	5	mg

Other Ingredients:

Maltodextrin, Protein Blend (Calcium Caseinate; Egg Whites; Sweet Whey; Whey Protein concentrate), Cocoa, Natural and Artificial flavor, Medium Chain Triglyceride (MCT), Lecithin, Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose

Gold Standard 100% Casein Ingredients

Chocolate Supreme

Ingredient	DSLD Ingredient Categories	Amount Per Serving	Amount Per Serving Unit	% Daily Value per Serving
Calories	other	120	{Calories}
Calories from Fat	other	10	{Calories}
Total Fat	fat	1	g	2
Saturated Fat	fat	0.5	g	3
Trans Fat	fat		g
Cholesterol	fat	10	mg	3
Sodium	mineral	260	mg	11
Total Carbohydrates	sugar	3	g	1
Dietary Fiber	fiber	1	g	4
Sugar	sugar		g
Protein	protein	24	g
Vitamin A	vitamin		%
Vitamin C	vitamin		%
Calcium	mineral	60	%
Iron	mineral	4	%

Other Ingredients:

Micellar Casein, Cocoa, Natural and Artificial flavors, Salt, Lecithin, Gum Blend (Carrageenan; Cellulose Gum; Xanthan Gum), Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose, Aminogen

Gold Standard 100% Isolate Ingredients

Chocolate Bliss

Ingredient	DSLD Ingredient Categories	Amount Per Serving	Amount Per Serving Unit	% Daily Value per Serving
Calories	other	110	Calorie(s)
Total Fat	fat	0.5	Gram(s)	1
Cholesterol	fat	<5	mg	2
Sodium	mineral	190	mg	8
Total Carbohydrates	sugar	1	Gram(s)
Protein	protein	25	Gram(s)	50
partially hydrolyzed Whey Protein Isolate	protein
Whey Protein Isolate	protein
Calcium	mineral	150	mg	10
Iron	mineral	0.5	mg	2
Potassium	mineral	240	mg	6

Other Ingredients:

Cocoa, Natural and Artificial flavor, Lecithin, Salt, Sucralose

Gold Standard Pro Gainer Ingredients

Strawberry Cream

Ingredient	DSLD Ingredient Categories	Amount Per Serving	Amount Per Serving Unit	% Daily Value per Serving
Calories	other	650	{Calories}
Calories from Fat	other	70	{Calories}
Total Fat	fat	8	Gram(s)	12
Saturated Fat	fat	3.5	Gram(s)	18
Trans Fat	fat		Gram(s)
Cholesterol	fat	60	mg	20
Sodium	mineral	360	mg	15
Total Carbohydrates	sugar	85	Gram(s)	28
Dietary Fiber	fiber	4	Gram(s)	16
Sugar	sugar	5	Gram(s)
Protein	protein	60	Gram(s)	120
Vitamin A	vitamin			20
Calcium	mineral			50
Vitamin E	vitamin			35
Riboflavin	vitamin			35
Vitamin B6	vitamin			20
Vitamin B12	vitamin			20
Pantothenic Acid	vitamin			20
Iodine	mineral			45
Zinc	mineral			20
Copper	mineral			20
Chromium	mineral			30
Chloride	mineral			4
Vitamin C	vitamin			35
Iron	mineral			25
Thiamine	vitamin			15
Niacin	vitamin			20
Folic Acid	vitamin			20
Biotin	vitamin			20
Phosphorus	mineral			35
Magnesium	mineral			30
Selenium	mineral			10
Manganese	mineral			35
Molybdenum	mineral			25

Other Ingredients:

Maltodextrin, Protein Blend (Calcium Caseinate; Egg Albumen; Glutamine Peptides; hydrolyzed Whey Peptides; Whey Protein concentrate; Whey Protein Isolate), Lipid Blend (high Oleic Sunflower Oil; Medium Chain Triglycerides), partially hydrolyzed Guar Gum, Natural and Artificial flavors, Lecithin, Vitamin/Mineral Blend (Ascorbic Acid; Beta-Carotene; Biotin; Boron AA Chelate; Calcium Carbonate; Calcium D-Pantothenate; Chromium Polynicotinate; Cupric Oxide; Cyanocobalamin; D-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate; Dimagnesium Phosphate; Ferric Orthophosphate; Folic Acid; Maltodextrin; Manganese Sulfate; Molybdenum AA Chelate; Niacinamide; Potassium Iodide; Pyridoxine Hydrochloride; Riboflavin; Selenomethionine; Thiamine Hydrochloride; Tricalcium Phosphate; Vitamin A Palmitate; Zinc Oxide), Malic Acid, Salt, FD&C Red #40, Carbogen, Aminogen, Sucralose, Titanium Dioxide, Acesulfame Potassium, Lactase

Gold Standard 100% Plant Ingredients

Rich Chocolate Fudge

Ingredient	DSLD Ingredient Categories	Amount Per Serving	Amount Per Serving Unit	% Daily Value per Serving
Calories	other	150	Calorie(s)
Total Fat	fat	3	Gram(s)	4
Saturated Fat	fat	0.5	Gram(s)	3
Sodium	mineral	210	mg	9
Total Carbohydrates	sugar	7	Gram(s)	3
Dietary Fiber	fiber	2	Gram(s)	7
Total Sugars	sugar	1	Gram(s)
Protein	protein	24	Gram(s)	48
Plant Protein Blend	blend
Calcium	mineral	100	mg	8
Iron	mineral	4.6	mg	25
Potassium	mineral	2220	mg	4
Vitamin C	vitamin	90	mg	100
Vitamin B12	vitamin	0.6	mcg	25

Other Ingredients:

organic Cocoa powder, Natural flavor, organic Natural flavor, organic Stevia leaf extract, AncienTrim Organic Grain Blend (organic Amaranth; organic Buckwheat; organic Chia; organic Millet; organic Quinoa), organic Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Ascorbic Acid, organic Gum Arabic, Salt, organic Pomegranate powder, Cyanocobalamin

Gold Standard Pre Advance Ingredients

Berry Blast

Ingredient	DSLD Ingredient Categories	Amount Per Serving	Amount Per Serving Unit	% Daily Value per Serving
Calories	other	5	Calorie(s)
Total Carbohydrates	sugar	1	Gram(s)	<1
Vitamin C	vitamin	200	mg	222
Vitamin D	vitamin	10	mcg	50
Calcium	mineral	30	mg	2
Magnesium	mineral	100	mg	24
Sodium	mineral	100	mg	4
L-Citrulline, Micronized	amino acid	6	Gram(s)
Creatine Monohydrate	non-nutrient/non-botanical	5	Gram(s)
CarnoSyn	amino acid	3.2	Gram(s)
Creatine Nitrate	non-nutrient/non-botanical	1.2	Gram(s)
Electrolyte Blend	blend	650	mg
Sodium Citrate	mineral
Magnesium Oxide	mineral
Potassium Chloride	mineral
Caffeine	non-nutrient/non-botanical	300	mg

Other Ingredients:

Natural & Artificial Flavors, Malic Acid, Citric Acid, Caffeine (Coffee; Tea), Calcium Silicate (Ca Silicate), Silicon Dioxide (SiO2), Sucralose, FD&C Blue #2, FD&C Red #40

Opti-Men Ingredients

Capsule

Ingredient	DSLD Ingredient Categories	Amount Per Serving	Amount Per Serving Unit	% Daily Value per Serving
Vitamin A	vitamin	3000	mcg	333
Vitamin C	vitamin	300	mg	333
Vitamin D	vitamin	37.5	mcg	188
Vitamin E	vitamin	134	mg	893
Vitamin K	vitamin	75	mcg	63
Thiamine	vitamin	75	mg	6250
Riboflavin	vitamin	75	mg	5769
Niacin	vitamin	75	mg	469
Vitamin B6	vitamin	50	mg	2941
Folate	vitamin	1020	mcg DFE	255
Folic Acid	vitamin	600	mcg
Vitamin B12	vitamin	100	mcg	4167
Biotin	vitamin	300	mcg	1000
Pantothenic Acid	vitamin	75	mg	1500
Choline	vitamin	10	mg	2
Calcium	mineral	50	mg	4
Iodine	mineral	150	mcg	100
Magnesium	mineral	80	mg	19
Zinc	mineral	15	mg	136
Selenium	mineral	200	mcg	364
Copper	mineral	2	mg	222
Manganese	mineral	2	mg	87
Chromium	mineral	120	mcg	343
Molybdenum	mineral	80	mcg	178
Sodium	mineral	10	mg	<1
Amino Men Blend	blend	1	Gram(s)
L-Arginine	amino acid
L-Glutamine	amino acid
L-Valine	amino acid
L-Leucine	amino acid
L-Isoleucine	amino acid
L-Cystine	amino acid
L-Lysine Hydrochloride	amino acid
L-Threonine	amino acid
Phyto Men Blend	blend	100	mg
Green Tea, Powder	botanical
Hesperidin Complex	blend
deodorized Garlic powder	botanical
Grape Seed Extract	botanical
Fruit Blend	blend
Orange, Powder	botanical
Pineapple, Powder	botanical
Apple, Powder	botanical
Grape, Powder	botanical
Blueberry, Powder	botanical
Cranberry, Powder	botanical
Papaya, Powder	botanical
Elderberry, Powder	botanical
Bilberry, Powder	botanical
Black Currant, Powder	botanical
Kiwi, Powder	botanical
Vegetable Blend	blend
Wild Yam, Powder	botanical
Carrot, Powder	botanical
Spinach, Powder	botanical
Cauliflower, Powder	botanical
Kale, Powder	botanical
Brussels Sprout, Powder	botanical
Broccoli, Powder	botanical
Viri Men Blend	blend	50	mg
Saw Palmetto Berry Extract	botanical
Damiana leaf extract	botanical
Panax ginseng Root Extract	botanical
Ginkgo biloba powdered extract	botanical
Nettles powdered extract	botanical
Pumpkin seed extract	botanical
Oyster extract	animal part or source
Enzyme Blend	blend	50	mg
Papain	enzyme
Bromelain	enzyme
Alpha Amylase	enzyme
Lipase	enzyme
Alpha Lipoic Acid	non-nutrient/non-botanical	25	mg
PABA	non-nutrient/non-botanical	10	mg
Inositol	non-nutrient/non-botanical	10	mg
Boron	mineral	2	mg
Lycopene	non-nutrient/non-botanical	500	mcg
Lutein	non-nutrient/non-botanical	500	mcg
Alpha-Carotene	non-nutrient/non-botanical	140	mcg
Vanadium	mineral	100	mcg
Cryptoxanthin	non-nutrient/non-botanical	34	mcg
Zeaxanthin	non-nutrient/non-botanical	28	mcg

Other Ingredients:

Microcrystalline Cellulose, Stearic Acid (C18:0), Croscarmellose Sodium, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose (HPMC), Magnesium Stearate (Mg Stearate), Silica, Glycerin, Sunflower Oil

Opti-Women Ingredients

Capsule

Ingredient	DSLD Ingredient Categories	Amount Per Serving	Amount Per Serving Unit	% Daily Value per Serving
Vitamin A	vitamin	5000	IU	100
Vitamin C	vitamin	250	mg	417
Vitamin D	vitamin	600	IU	150
Vitamin E	vitamin	100	IU	333
Vitamin K	vitamin	80	mcg	100
Thiamine	vitamin	20	mg	1333
Riboflavin	vitamin	20	mg	1176
Niacin	vitamin	20	mg	100
Vitamin B6	vitamin	20	mg	1000
Folic Acid	vitamin	600	mcg	150
Vitamin B12	vitamin	100	mcg	1667
Biotin	vitamin	250	mcg	83
Pantothenic Acid	vitamin	20	mg	200
Calcium	mineral	150	mg	15
Iron	mineral	18	mg	100
Iodine	mineral	200	mcg	133
Magnesium	mineral	75	mg	19
Zinc	mineral	15	mg	100
Selenium	mineral	70	mcg	100
Copper	mineral	2	mg	100
Manganese	mineral	5	mg	250
Chromium	mineral	120	mcg	100
Molybdenum	mineral	70	mcg	93
Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis) 4:1 root extract	botanical	80	mg
Chasteberry (Vitex agnus-castus) 4:1 berry extract	botanical	50	mg
Garcinia extract	botanical	50	mg
Uva Ursi	botanical	50	mg
Horse Chestnut extract	botanical	25	mg
Alpha Lipoic Acid	non-nutrient/non-botanical	20	mg
Butchers Broom	botanical	15	mg
Ostivone	non-nutrient/non-botanical	10	mg
Grape seed extract	botanical	10	mg
deodorized Garlic	botanical	10	mg
Citrus Bioflavonoids	non-nutrient/non-botanical	10	mg
Soy Isoflavones	non-nutrient/non-botanical	2	mg
Lycopene	non-nutrient/non-botanical	250	mg
Lutein	non-nutrient/non-botanical	250	mcg
Alpha-Carotene	non-nutrient/non-botanical	93.5	mcg
Cryptoxanthin	non-nutrient/non-botanical	22.8	mcg
Zeaxanthin	non-nutrient/non-botanical	18.7	mcg

Other Ingredients:

Hypromellose, Magnesium Stearate, Calcium Phosphate (Ca Phosphate), Microcrystalline Cellulose, Silica

Platinum Hydrowhey Ingredients

Turbo Chocolate

Ingredient	DSLD Ingredient Categories	Amount Per Serving	Amount Per Serving Unit	% Daily Value per Serving
Calories	other	140	Calorie(s)
Calories from Fat	other	10	Calorie(s)
Total Fat	fat	1	Gram(s)	2
Saturated Fat	fat	0.5	Gram(s)	3
Trans Fat	fat		Gram(s)
Cholesterol	fat	5	mg	2
Sodium	mineral	210	mg	9
Total Carbohydrates	sugar	2	Gram(s)	1
Sugar	sugar	<1	Gram(s)
Protein	protein	30	Gram(s)	60
Vitamin A	vitamin
Calcium	mineral			10
Vitamin C	vitamin
Iron	mineral			2

Other Ingredients:

Hydrolyzed Whey Protein Isolates, Micronized Branched Chain Amino Acids (L-Isoleucine; L-Leucine; L-Valine), Cocoa, Natural and Artificial flavors, Lecithin, Contains 1.5% or less of: (Acesulfame Potassium; Cellulose Gum; Creamer; Enzyme Blend; Potassium Chloride; Salt; Sucralose; Vanillin)

Are Optimum Nutrition Just Junk? A Full Breakdown of Their Ingredients

Who is Optimum Nutrition?

Supplemental Facts Label

Active and Inactive Ingredients

Proprietary blends

* All Ingredients listed in Red are JUNK

Optimum Nutrition Product List

Gold Standard 100% Whey Ingredients

Other Ingredients

Essential AMIN.O Energy Ingredients

Other Ingredients:

Serious Mass Weight Gainer Ingredients

Other Ingredients:

Gold Standard 100% Casein Ingredients

Other Ingredients:

Gold Standard 100% Isolate Ingredients

Other Ingredients:

Gold Standard Pro Gainer Ingredients

Other Ingredients:

Gold Standard 100% Plant Ingredients

Other Ingredients:

Gold Standard Pre Advance Ingredients

Other Ingredients:

Opti-Men Ingredients

Other Ingredients:

Opti-Women Ingredients

Other Ingredients:

Platinum Hydrowhey Ingredients

Other Ingredients: