Glyco Harmony Ingredients: The 23 Lines on the Panel

Per 1 ml: 0.7 micrograms of chromium as chromium picolinate, and 200 mg of a proprietary blend listed as maca root, grape seed, guarana seed, African mango seed, eleutherococcus senticosus root, astragalus root, green tea leaf, gymnema leaf, coleus forskohlii root, capsicum annuum fruit, grapefruit fruit, panax ginseng aerial, raspberry ketones, L-glutamine, L-tyrosine, L-arginine, beta-alanine, monoammonium glycyrrhizinate, GABA, L-ornithine HCL, L-tryptophan and L-carnitine. Plus glycerin, water, organic lemon extract, stevia, xylitol, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, citric acid and natural flavors.

<b>0.7 micrograms</b> per 1 ml serving, which the label correctly prints as 2% of the Daily Value — the FDA figure is 35 mcg and the arithmetic checks out. What the figure means is the harder part. The NIH says most multivitamins carry 35 to 120 mcg of chromium, that chromium supplements commonly provide 200 to 500 mcg and sometimes up to 1,000, and that trials of chromium and glucose used 1.28 to 1,000 mcg daily. This is below the smallest of those.

We cannot tell you it does nothing — nobody has tested 0.7 mcg, because there would be no reason to. What we can tell you is that it sits below every dose in the NIH's own summary of the chromium literature, and below the amount in an ordinary multivitamin by a factor of fifty or more. If chromium is why you are buying this, that is the number to weigh.

At most 25 mg, and possibly far less. It is eighth of twenty-two in a 200 mg blend, and no standardisation is printed. The monograph we read says clinical studies of gymnema for blood sugar typically used 200 or 400 mg a day of extract standardised to 25% gymnemic acids, or 500 to 1,000 mg a day of leaf extract over two to three months.

Because it is the heaviest in the blend by weight — that is what first position means under the descending-order rule. It could be anything up to the whole 200 mg. Maca is a Peruvian root usually sold for energy and libido rather than blood sugar, and it is not one of the ingredients the marketing leads with.

Monoammonium glycyrrhizinate, eighteenth of twenty-two, so at most 11.1 mg. It is a salt of glycyrrhizic acid, the compound in licorice root. NCCIH says glycyrrhizin &ldquo;can cause serious adverse effects, such as irregular heartbeat and cardiac arrest&rdquo;, and that &ldquo;even small amounts&rdquo; have been linked to severe adverse effects in people with hypertension, a high salt intake, or heart or kidney conditions. The amount here is not published.

Twelfth of twenty-two, so at most 16.7 mg. NCCIH reports that Asian ginseng improved several cardiometabolic factors including fasting blood glucose, while calling the research on blood sugar control in people with diabetes &ldquo;inconclusive and conflicting&rdquo;. Its practical note is the one to read: &ldquo;If you have diabetes, consult your health care provider before using Asian ginseng.&rdquo; Note also that this is the <i>aerial</i> extract rather than the root most research uses.

Almost certainly a small amount, and the label will not tell you how much. Guarana is third by weight in the blend and green tea seventh, and both contain caffeine; neither carries a caffeine figure. The FDA cites 400 mg a day as the amount not generally associated with dangerous negative effects in healthy adults, and you cannot add an unknown to that sum.

Not at this size, and this is one of the few places where the smallness is a margin rather than a shortfall. NCCIH notes that liver injury has been reported in some people using green tea products, primarily extracts in tablet or capsule form. Seventh of twenty-two caps this at 28.6 mg, far below the intakes that signal attaches to.

We do not know, and the label does not say. L-glutamine, L-tyrosine, L-arginine, beta-alanine, GABA, L-ornithine, L-tryptophan and L-carnitine occupy positions fourteen to twenty-two, so each is capped between 14.3 mg and 9.1 mg. Amino acids are normally dosed in grams — a gram being a thousand milligrams.

Because the panel does. The brief and the brand's <i>Inside Glyco Harmony</i> artwork both name six — chromium, gymnema, African mango, green tea, maca and panax ginseng. All six are genuinely on the label. So are seventeen more, including guarana, capsicum, coleus forskohlii, a licorice derivative and eight amino acids. The label wins, and the label says twenty-three.

Three. <i>Lepidium mevenii</i> should be <i>Lepidium meyenii</i>; <i>Irvingia gabonesis</i> should be <i>Irvingia gabonensis</i>; <i>L-Typtophan</i> should be L-Tryptophan. None changes what is in the bottle. All three are printed on it, so all three are recorded.