In the sports nutrition marketplace, "proprietary blends" are like opinions: Everybody's got at least one. This can be confusing if you're trying to compare one supplement to another.
Here's a fictitious example. Chad wants a supplement containing at least 2-3 g (2000-3000 mg) of arginine, which he hopes will boost his nitric oxide (NO) and growth hormone (GH) levels. While browsing through GNC he picks up a bottle of a product that catches his eye. Chad rotates the bottle in his hand to reveal the Supplement Facts panel, where three proprietary blends are listed. One of them, called "NO-GH Bomb", contains seven amino acids, among which is arginine. Chad is confused. While the total weight of each blend is indicated on the label, the weights of individual ingredients within a given blend are not. Using this information how can Chad determine how much arginine the supplement contains?
The answer is that he can't. Only the manufacturer knows exactly how much of each ingredient is in the product's proprietary blends; hence the term "proprietary". And the FDA allows this.
To help us further understand the FDA's labeling rules concerning proprietary blends, I contacted Dr. Robert Moore (Ph.D.), Supervisor of the Regulations Implementation Team in the Division of Dietary Supplement Programs at the FDA. Dr. Moore confirmed the following:
(1) The net weight of each proprietary blend must be indicated on the Supplement Facts panel. "Net weight" equals the combined weight of all of the ingredients in the blend minus the weight of the container used to measure the ingredients.
(2) Individual ingredients within a blend must be listed in descending order of weight (i.e. from largest to smallest quantity) on the Supplement Facts panel.
(3) The weights of individual ingredients within a blend do not have to be indicated.
(4) The blends do not have to be listed in any particular order.
(5) Manufacturers are free to use the term "proprietary" or another "appropriately descriptive term or fanciful name" to describe a blend (hence "NO-GH Bomb").
What does all of this mean for Chad? The Supplement Facts panel of the product he's holding in his hand indicates that "NO-GH Bomb" has a net weight of 2500 mg (2.5 g). Assuming this is true, then it must contain less than 2.5 g of arginine. How much less, he can't know for sure. If it contains 2.4 g of arginine, for instance, then the combined weight of the other six amino acids in the blend must be no more than 2.5 g -2.4 g = 0.1 g, or 100 mg. Depending on the amino acid, this may be far too little to produce noticeable effects. (Unfortunately, supplement manufacturers may use ingredients in quantities that are too small to be efficacious just so they can list them on the label. This is sometimes referred to as "pixie-dusting.")
While 2.4 g of arginine may sound like a reasonable dose, Chad needs to keep in mind that studies have used 5-9 g of arginine to produce increases in resting GH levels.
What's the solution? Chad has several options:
(1) He can call the manufacturer and ask how much arginine is in the product. They may deny him this information or give him a ballpark figure.
(2) He can pay to have a chemical analysis done on the product. Obviously this isn't practical unless he has a lot of money to blow.
(3) He can take a chance by purchasing the supplement and seeing what kind of results he gets while using it.
(4) He can continue to shop around for a product like BI's Muscle Synergy, the label of which indicates exactly how much arginine it contains (7 g per serving).
EDITOR'S NOTE: The first label for BI's Quadracarn was listed as a proprietary blend -not to hide anything, but in response to a legal dispute with a large pharmaceutical manufacturer. As soon as the dispute was settled (in BI's favor), the exact formula listing the weight of each individual ingredient was shared with consumers.
