As a direct follow up to my post about GFuel, I have decided to take closer look at another up and coming dietary supplement that is marketed directly towards the gaming community. GG by GamerSupps is a nootropic formula made to help gamers play better and longer so that they can improve their gameplay through more consistent practice and a more active mind during gameplay. Compared to other products, this powder boasts a much smaller serving size, a greater number of servings per container, and an unbeatable flavor. Here I will look at each of the included ingredients and/or blends to try to elucidate the effectiveness of a product from a market saturated with unsubstantiated claims.
The Label
One of the most noticeable differences between GG and other products on the market is the size of a single serving. According to the facts panel, one serving of GG weighs a mere 1.3g. This is more than 80% smaller than the competitor, GFuel which clocks in at 7g/serving. This is not to say that less is more in every aspect, but from a sheer cost effectiveness standpoint, both products run about $35 per container, but GG yields 60 servings while GFuel yields 40.
Advertised Facts Panel for GG DragonFruit Punch
Another noticeable oddity on the label is the dose of the n.r.GG Nootropic-Antioxidant Blend listed as 1650 micrograms. This translates to a whopping 1.65 milligrams (you heard me) which doesn?t make very much sense. This is especially questionable for two reasons. The first ingredient listed within the blend (which is supposed to be the most by weight) is caffeine which is listed as 100mg. This immediately brings into question the full weight of the blend which, according to this single piece of the puzzle, should weigh more than 100mg, not 1.65mg. My second thought was that the manufacturer may have meant to list the weight in milligrams instead of micrograms. Unfortunately this means that the blend would weigh in at 1650 milligrams, or 1.65 grams, which puts it .3 grams heavier than the whole scoop size.
This mix-up doesn?t inherently mean that the company is trying to hide anything. I?ve reached out directly to GamerSupps and while I haven?t gotten a reply as of yet, I have been assured by a company representative that the response is delayed due to the high volume of inquiries from their recent time at TwitchCon in Long Beach. Hopefully we can get this figured out and I will repost this review with an edit once I hear back.
The Blend
The n.r.GG Nootropic-Antioxidant Blend is the real meat and potatoes of this product supplying the energy and focus that supposedly helps gamers ?Play Better. Win More.? As the name implies this blend is basically split into the nootropic ingredients which include the caffeine, kigelia africana, bai mudan white tea, noopept, and L-Tyrosine. The antioxidant blend includes acai berry, goji fruit, ginseng root, mangosteen fruit, and blueberry extract. Since we know neither the exact weight of the blend, nor the proportion of the individual ingredients, it is impossible to know if these ingredients are at doses tested to be effective or not.
The only ingredient outside of the vitamins that are listed that we know the does of is the caffeine. At 100 milligrams the amount of caffeine in a single serving sits right at about a single cup of strong coffee. It?s good that this is a known quantity. If I could choose to know one of the ingredient doses, it would be caffeine since I feel this makes one of the greatest differences in the product experience. I am also happy that GamerSupps chose to be more conservative with their caffeine. A cup of coffee is a fairly good benchmark for caffeine and not deviating far from it makes self dosing much easier. Also, since the $/serving is relatively low, double dosing for regular users does not present any issues with overdoing the stimulants.
The newest flavor of GG called OP Orange and matching GG shaker bottle
From here on out, the dosing is all guess work. I?ll do my best to describe how each ingredient is supposed to work, but we can?t assume that any of them are dosed according to current research. This is not to say that they are completely ineffective, we simply just don?t know. Firstly Kigelia Africana (also known as a Sausage Tree) is an African tree that has been found to have many stimulant properties similar to caffeine. It is believed that that the active ingredient in Kigelia is 2-amino isoheptane, also known as DMHA. There is very little data on the effectiveness/safety of this ingredient, but it is used in a number of preworkout formulas in the market today. There is a little bit of controversy about the use of Kigelia in dietary supplements due to conflicting stories about the regulatory status of the plant but so far enforcement seems to be focused on products that are isolating the DMHA and making it synthetically.
While it doesn?t say so, the Bai Mudan white tea is most likely added for its high concentration of L-Theanine. It has been found in a number of trials that when caffeine and theanine are taken together, they have a synergistic effect on feelings on concentration, alertness, and focus. White tea is consumed all over the planet has has been for many hundreds of years. Like I said, we can?t tell how effective this ingredient will be due to dosing mysteries, but white tea is a good ingredient that is found widely within the industry.
This brings us to the most interesting ingredient, Noopept. Noopept is a potent nootropic that has been shown to significantly improve focus and mental energy. Chemically it is very similar to Piracetam which is a drug used in a couple of other countries to help treat Alzheimer?s Disease. Thankfully Noopept is different enough from Piracetam that it is not considered a drug by the FDA. The problem is that since Noopept is completely synthetic, it is not currently considered a legal dietary ingredient to market in the United States. There are many in the states who take Noopept fairly regularly, and consuming the ingredient is not illegal in any way. Marketing it in a product to be used as a dietary supplement however, is technically not legal according to the FDA. I?ll be interested to see how the formula of GG evolves over time to see if they stick with this ingredient or decide to sub it out. For those wondering, there aren?t currently any concerns around the safety of the ingredient, it just doesn?t have the correct regulatory status.
Finally, L-Tyrosine. Since this amino acid is used as a precursor to both dopamine and norepinephrine, it makes sense that consuming this ingredient may actually help support these neurotransmitters in times of great need. These needs arise most commonly when the body is under stress. This stress can come in many forms. Whether subjects are gaming for many hours on end, sitting in a bucket of ice water (how the ingredient was first tested), or running for their lives, the body perceives stress all the same. I can?t say for sure if this product contains enough Tyrosine per serving to make any difference in neurotransmitters. Hard to say, but it is unlikely that there is any issue with safety due to this ingredient.
From left to right: Goji, Mangosteen, and Acai berries
The other ingredients in the blend all have the same purpose. Acai berry, goji fruit, ginseng root, mangosteen fruit, and blueberry extract are all rich in antioxidants. These ingredients can help protect against free radicals as well as support the body?s other defenses. It is thought that these oxidative species can contribute to fatigue, feelings of haziness, and difficulty concentrating. Whether or not this blend can contribute to protection of the brain specifically is difficult to say but I have no reason to think that this wouldn?t be a solid blend. For the most part, antioxidants are antioxidants. The only thing I don?t know is whether or not there is enough in each serving to do the job.
Conclusion
Gamersupps has done a very good job of differentiating themselves from many other popular brands within this same space. Having no calories or sugar immediately shines a positive light on the product when most other options such as energy drinks are full of significant amounts of sugar. On top of being a more healthy option, each container contains more servings per dollar than any product that I?ve seen. The value proposition of here is unavoidable. Finally, on a personal note, I?ve tried three flavors that GG offers, Dragonfruit Punch, Acai Bluberry, and Lemon Limeade, and they are all outstanding.
However, as with most other powders in this market, a proprietary blend of active ingredients makes it impossible to tell how potent this product is. It?s not that there aren?t good ingredients here, but it is frustrating when companies continually hide behind the excuse that they need to keep their formula a secret so that no one will steal it. I think that this practice is more deceptive than anything else. But once we get past the issues of dosing, this product has a great deal of potential. There are ingredients here with good effects, some solid synergy, and even good science behind them. I?m looking forward to seeing how GG evolves over the coming years. They aren?t the biggest company within their market, but GG isn?t going anywhere any time soon.
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*The opinions stated in this article are my own and do not necessarily represent those of my employer.
