FAQs

For more than 20 years Gold Standard 100% Whey has been the number 1 choice for athletes Worldwide. Gold Standard 100% Whey is formulated using a premium blend of whey, using whey protein isolate as its primary protein ingredient. It is the most reviewed, most awarded whey protein powder in the world. But what really makes it the best seller is the consistency and the trust. No matter where you are and no matter when you decide to try it, with Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey, you are always going to be in the Gold Standard Zone.

Originally all the Optimum Nutrition products available everywhere in the world were manufactured in our Aurora plant in the USA. After the US and UK, India is the third-ever region to manufacture Optimum Nutrition products locally. To match the ever-increasing demand in the Indian subcontinent we have now partnered up with world class co-manufacturing facilities and started locally manufacturing some of our key products. Certain products are still imported from US/UK. We are planning to increase our local manufacturing capacity and going to add more products to locally manfactured portfolio. This allows us to serve you faster and more efficiently. Its a Dynamic process really and for coming few years you will see a mix of USA as well as India manufactured inventory in the market. Where ever the product is manufactured, you can rest assured that it is made with utmost precision and same quality and safety standards that makes ON the #1 sports nutrition brand in the world. You can find the manufacturing details on the label itself, and we always recommend you to Authenticate your ON product by verifying your 6 digit unique TRU Seal code

Optimum Nutrition is a global leader and our award winning products are available across the world. Formulas may differ slightly from US to India products in order to meet India FSSAI and other local market regulations. Differences between formulas are minimal and the product quality is equal across all markets and does not impact the effectiveness of the product when training recovering.

No, we do not have banned substances in our products. Our Gold Standard 100% Whey, Gold Standard 100% Isolate, Essential AMIN.O. Energy, Micronised Creatine, Glutamine Powder, Serious Mass and BCAA Powder are informed choice certified- which means they are regularly tested for banned subatsnaces. Our products are trusted by the best athletes all over the world for over 35 years.

Yes. All Optimum Nutrition products available in India are certified vegetarian as per requirement of FSSAI. They all bear the FSSAI green dot.

We have now transitioned from a colored scoops to a transperant scoop. Colored plastic is not easily recyclable so we moved away from colored scoops.

It is a blend of whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, and hydrolysed whey protein, with the ingredients listed in order of predominance (first ingredient whey protein isolate).

This is a proprietary information. However, please keep in mind the ingredients are listed in order of predominance. For example, Gold Standard 100% Whey has Whey Protein Isolate listed as the first protein on the ingredient list which means it is the primary source of protein in the blend.

It comes from cow's milk. Whey and Casein are two major proteins found in the milk.

Amino Acids are building blocks of proteins. They are naturally present in all proteins. The amino acids in our protein supplements are naturally occuring from the whey protein itself. We do not add additional amino acids to the products.

We do not claim that our protein supplements helps with weight reduction. Instead, they helps with muscle support and recovery. If your goal is to lose weight aim for an overall caloric deficit by end of the day and include adequate physical activity. In general, for healthy adults, consume enough protein to meet your daily protein requirements with a combination of high protein foods and protein supplements throughout the day as part of a balanced diet and exercise program.

If you have any pre-existing medical conditions you always want to consult with a medical professional prior to ensure the product is appropriate for you.

Our products have no known side effects. In general, we do suggest consulting with a physician before supplementation. Protein from food sources and from supplements are usually safe to consume for healthy adults.

Generally, we do not recommend our products to anyone under the age of 18. For teenagers between the ages of 15-18, please consult with your pediatrician prior to use.

No, the proteins that we use in our products are made using either synthetic or fungally derived rennet.

What you are seeing is completely normal. Not all ingredients are the same level of granulation or precipitation of free-form amino acids, so at times and depending on how well mixed, there can be some visible fall-out. You can continue with your method of mixing to make it a bit more homogenous. Hope that helps!

Amino Acid profile means content and distribution of the different amino acids found in a protein. It does not change from brand to brand, or region to region, as the protein source itself (in present case-Whey) has a standard amino acids profile. Only case the profile may change is if the manufacturers are “Adding” or “Enriching” the product with added amino acids. Which is not the case with Gold Standard Whey. One serving of Gold Standard 100% Whey has 11 grams of naturally occurring Essential Amino Acids (including 5.5 grams of BCAAs), and over 4 grams of naturally occurring Glutamine and Glutamic Acid. Product label is a limited space so we chose to remove individual amino acids distribution since it is essentially a common knowledge that can be found anywhere in public domain. Below is typical amino acid profile of Whey Protein.

Typical Amino Acids Profile of 24-gram Whey Protein (in milligrams)

Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass is your High Protein, High Calories Gainer designed to support your gaining goals. For desired results, take it along with your meals and snacks and not instead of it. For new consumers- please start with half a scoop and slowly work your way up to a full serving (2 scoops). When taken as directed, serious mass can help you achieve caloric surplus which is what gives you the Gains! And when combined with regular resistance exercise over a period of time it may support muscle building.

Choosing to use supplements when not exercising is always a personal decision and depends largely on your goals. Supplements with Caffeine such as Optimum Nutrition Essential Amin.O. Energy can help with focus and alertness, protein such as Gold Standard 100% Whey can help provide more of the amino acid building blocks your body needs every day to support muscles, hair, skin, nails, enzymes, immune response and many such bodily functions. Moreover, adding protein to traditionally carbohydrate rich meals and snacks can help to provide more satiety or a feeling of fullness. So try to obtain what you need nutritionally each day from a blanched whole food diet and add supplements if you choose based on your personal goals.

In short, Yes. Your body needs dietary protein regardless if you are trying to get fit, lose weight, build muscle, run a marathon, or even when you are sedentary. We all need protein. Protein works beyond muscle. Protein is essential for all healthy adults, active or not. It is needed to help many vital functions that take place in the body. Proteins can be used for body tissues, hormones, enzymes, antibodies, to transport oxygen, support the immune system, be used for energy and more. One must always try to eat a protein rich balanced diet, and in addition consuming high quality complete protein supplements is one way of meeting daily dietary protein requirements. Give your body the right tools to help it function optimally!

The amount of protein you need depends on you and your goals. Typically, a healthy adult should get 10 to 35% their total daily calories from protein. For the average healthy adult looking to maintain – consuming 0.8 to 1.0 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day spread across a few meals and snacks is suggested. For those with increased physical activity or strength training, they can increase intake upto 1.2 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram per day spread across a few meals and snacks. Example: A healthy sedentary adult weighing 68kg will need at least 68kg x 0.8g = 54 grams protein per day.

We do not recommend our products be used after the expiration which is the last date of possible use. Over time flavors, ingredients and colors break down and may have the potential of causing an individual to become sick. We do not suggest that it be taken past the EXP date, even if never opened.

Sweeteners are used in foods to provide zero to reduced calorie options to sweeten foods. There is lack of convincing data linking the intake of sweeteners at appropriate daily intake levels - to any negative health outcomes . FSSAI permits use of artificial sweeteners and considers them to be safe for consumption at prescribed levels

Creatine is among the most researched supplements in the sports nutrition category over the last 20 years. There is no compelling scientific evidence that the short- or long-term use of creatine monohydrate has any detrimental effects on otherwise healthy individuals and the only side effect seems to be potential weight gain.

In terms of the amount of protein shakes per day, there is no absolute figure as this depends on your protein intake from food. You should aim to consume the majority of your protein from food and then use a shake as a convenient way of topping up your intake. Your protein intake should vary between 1.0-2g/kg body weight to support muscle recovery and building, when taken over time with regular resistance training. Also aim to evenly spread your protein intake across the day, aiming for 20-30g of protein at each meal. There is no best time to take a protein shake as it can be taken at any time throughout the day but a protein shake after a workout is a good option as it provides the muscle with a high quality protein source which is delivered to the muscles after exercise.

For Gold Standard Isolate and Performance Whey we use ultrafiltration- same is mentioned on the product label as well. At Optimum Nutrition we may use variety of highly sophisticated filtration processes such a ultrafiltration, nano-filtration, etc. All these methods may cause some denaturation of the protein which is perfectly normal. In fact, cooking also causes denaturation ( e.g: eggs become hard upon boiling due to protein denaturation). Contrary to a lot of misinformation floating on internet, these filtration methods do not impact the ability of the Whey Protein when it comes to training recovery.