Your post-workout protein shake may contain some hidden dangerous ingredients. A new report finds that a significant proportion of over-the-counter protein powders contain potentially unsafe levels of lead and other toxic metals.
Researchers from the non-profit organization Clean Labels Project conducted studywho tested dozens of consumer brands of protein powder. Of the 160 products tested, 47% had levels of lead, cadmium and other toxic metals that exceeded the safety threshold set by Proposition 65, a 1986 law passed in California that regulates exposure to more than 900 substances within the state. Organic, plant-based and protein powders containing chocolate were significantly more likely to contain these metals than other brands, according to the report.
Although lead exposure in general has been greatly reduced since the 1970s (due largely to the phase-out of leaded gasoline), there are still certain consumer products known to be at greater risk of contamination. AND study last summerfor example, he found that nearly half of all cocoa products, especially dark chocolate, may contain unsafe levels of lead. Clean Labels Project researchers decided to test a wide variety of protein supplement products for lead, cadmium and other metals.
The researchers purchased and tested 160 protein powder products from 70 different top-selling brands, which reportedly accounted for 83% of the market. Along with 47% of products that exceeded Prop 65 levels of lead and other metals, 21% were found to have lead levels twice the Prop 65 limit. About 65% of chocolate-containing powders had high levels of lead; 77% of plant-based powders had high levels of lead; and 79% of organic powders had high levels of lead, including 41% of products that had lead levels twice the Prop 65 limit. These types of products were also more likely to contain cadmium than other brands.
“The study results highlight that despite a growing health-conscious market, many products may contain elevated levels of contaminants that are not reflected on traditional nutrition labels,” the report’s authors wrote. The report declines to name specific brands that have been found to contain lead and other metals, although it notes that whey and collagen-based powders are significantly less likely to be contaminated with them.
The safety thresholds for lead and other substances established by Prop 65 are much stricter than those used by other organizations, including the Food and Drug Administration. Other researches are also suggested that the average exposure to heavy metals from consuming protein powder supplements is unlikely to cause adverse health effects in humans, such as an increased risk of cancer. At the same time, it doesn’t exist really safe level exposure to lead, and it is known that exposure to lead early in life increases the risk of development issues. And the report’s authors say their report is intended to serve as a “wake-up call for consumers, manufacturers, retailers and regulators alike.”
There was at least one silver lining to the discovery. Levels of bisphenols—hormone-disrupting chemicals thought to negatively affect human health—in protein powders have dropped significantly over the years. Only about 2% of products (3 out of 160) tested positive for these chemicals in this latest report, compared to 55% of products tested by the organization in a similar report in 2018.