Is Transparent Labs LEAN underdosed?

• Zinc (Zinc Amino Acid Chelate)Per scoop 15 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• Copper (Copper Amino Acid Chelate)Per scoop 1 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• Iodine (Iodine Chelate)Per scoop 225 mcgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• Chromium (Chromax)Per scoop 200 mcgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• Selenium (L-Selenomethionine)Per scoop 55 mcgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: a vitamin or mineral. We grade a pre-workout’s ingredients against exercise studies; vitamins and minerals are graded only on their own supplement pages.

• L-CitrullineLabel: Citrulline Malate [2:1]Per scoop 4 gStudies 4–5.33 gEffective doseEvidence: Weak

  Contains 4 g; studies use 4–5.33 g.

  ASSUMPTION: "2:1" is read as a weight ratio (2 parts L-citrulline to 1 part malic acid), so 2/3 of the stated weight is counted as L-citrulline. Applied only when the label does not state the citrulline amount itself. If 2:1 were a molar ratio the share would be about 72% (2 x 175.19 / (2 x 175.19 + 134.09)); the weight reading gives the lower citrulline figure.

• Beta-AlaninePer scoop 2 gStudies 3.2–6.4 g/dayBelow research doseEvidence: Strong

  Contains 2 g; studies use 3.2–6.4 g/day. Beta-Alanine works through daily use over weeks; a lower amount still builds up, just more slowly.

• Betaine AnhydrousLabel: BetaPure (Betaine Anhydrous)Per scoop 1.5 gStudies 2.5 g/dayBelow research doseEvidence: Moderate

  Contains 1.5 g; studies use 2.5 g/day. Betaine Anhydrous works through daily use over weeks; a lower amount still builds up, just more slowly.

• Acetyl-L-Carnitine HydrochloridePer scoop 1 gStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Not graded: we have no research dose for it from exercise studies.

• CholineLabel: Choline BitartratePer scoop 206 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Contains 206 mg. Not graded: most people get enough choline from food, and a review of the exercise studies found supplements might only help endurance when very long, hard exercise lowers blood choline (Penry and Manore, 2008).

  ASSUMPTION: choline bitartrate (1:1) is counted as the choline in it: 104.17 ÷ 253.25 g/mol = 41.1% of the printed weight. Used only when the label does not state the choline itself.

• L-TheaninePer scoop 180 mgStudies 100–200 mgEffective doseEvidence: Weak

  Contains 180 mg; studies use 100–200 mg.

• CaffeineLabel: PurCaf (Caffeine) [organic caffeine]Per scoop 180 mgStudies 3–6 mg/kgBelow research doseEvidence: Strong

  Contains 180 mg (2.4 mg/kg at 75 kg); studies use 3–6 mg/kg.

• TheobrominePer scoop 50 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Contains 50 mg. Not graded: there is no peer-reviewed exercise trial, and 100–400 mg did not change mood or alertness in human studies.

• BioPerine (black pepper extract)Label: Bioperine (Black Pepper Fruit Extract)Per scoop 5 mgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Contains 5 mg. Not graded: added to help the body absorb other ingredients; it has no dose of its own to judge.

• Huperzine APer scoop 100 mcgStudies Not setNot gradedEvidence: Not graded

  Contains 100 mcg. Not graded: its one exercise trial found no effect. It is a prescription drug in China and not authorised as a food or supplement ingredient in the EU.

Use “Check it for your dose” to see this table for your own scoops and bodyweight. Only caffeine is dosed per kilogram in the studies we cite; the other research doses are fixed amounts, so your weight doesn't change them.

How many scoops would it take?

To reach the low end of the research dose for each underdosed ingredient.

Taking more doesn't fix this product. Reaching those doses means more than 400 mg of caffeine from the scoops alone, above the FDA's 400 mg daily reference for most adults, before any coffee.

Where the reference doses come from

1. Beta-Alanine, 3.2–6.4 g/day: Harris et al., 2006Hobson et al., 2012Trexler et al., 2015.
2. Betaine Anhydrous, 2.5 g/day: Cholewa et al., 2013Hoffman et al., 2009Zawieja et al., 2024.
3. Caffeine, 3–6 mg/kg: Guest et al., 2021.
4. L-Citrulline, 4–5.33 g: Gough et al., 2021Vårvik et al., 2021.
5. L-Theanine, 100–200 mg: Owen et al., 2008Payne et al., 2025.
6. Daily caffeine reference, 400 mg: US FDA, Spilling the Beans.
7. Label data: National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplement Label Database, 2026. https://dsld.od.nih.gov/. Label 309959.

Assumptions used on this page: ASSUMPTION: "2:1" is read as a weight ratio (2 parts L-citrulline to 1 part malic acid), so 2/3 of the stated weight is counted as L-citrulline. Applied only when the label does not state the citrulline amount itself. If 2:1 were a molar ratio the share would be about 72% (2 x 175.19 / (2 x 175.19 + 134.09)); the weight reading gives the lower citrulline figure. ASSUMPTION: choline bitartrate (1:1) is counted as the choline in it: 104.17 ÷ 253.25 g/mol = 41.1% of the printed weight. Used only when the label does not state the choline itself.

Methodology 1.11. Read the full methodology or the corrections log.