Posted on 01/25/2025 7:46:31 AM PST by ConservativeMind
It turns out, your protein powder might not be as healthy as you think.
A new report from the Clean Label Project reveals that popular protein powders—especially plant-based, organic and chocolate-flavored varieties—may contain high levels of lead and cadmium.
The report highlights an alarming finding: Nearly half (47%) of the 160 products tested exceeded California's Proposition 65 regulatory limits for lead, with 21% containing levels more than twice as high as those allowed under the law.
The investigation revealed that:
—Plant-based powders, like those made from soy, rice and peas, contained three times more lead than products based on whey, a byproduct of cheesemaking.
—Organic powders had three times more lead and twice as much cadmium compared to non-organic powders.
—Chocolate-flavored powders had four times more lead and up to 110 times more cadmium than vanilla-flavored powders.
For the report, Clean Label Project researchers purchased protein powders from 70 popular brands and ran nearly 36,000 tests for contaminants, including heavy metals and hormone disruptors like bisphenol A (BPA). Specific brands were not named.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition, which represents many supplement manufacturers, said the new study lacked transparency about how contamination thresholds were set and which products were tested.
"Modern analytical techniques can detect even trace levels of naturally occurring elements, such as heavy metals, which are present in soil, air, and water," Andrea Wong, a senior vice president for the council, told CNN.
"These trace levels are often well below established safety thresholds set by federal agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)."
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
It figures. Even psyllium comes from India and you have to select that carefully, as well, so it has the least heavy metals.
ConsumerLab does a good job reviewing such products for these problems.
“It’s your one way ticket to midnight!”
Good to know.
Whey is the most nutritionally balanced protein.
It also gives cows gainful employment.
“Clean Label Project” and the “American Heart Association” should have been added to the “Source” field above.
When my wife was recovering from colon surgery, they recommended increasing her protein intake, and they said to stick with whey protein powders. The one she likes is non-GMO, has no sweeteners (and no artificial sweeteners), and no soy.
I rely heavily on dextrin fiber powder. Is this concern on that too ?
If the powders are manufactured in China, I wouldn’t touch them.
It is an issue with dark chocolates as well and at least with cocoa powder African sourced is apparently less polluted than South American. I was tested for cadmium recently since I eat around 1 lb of Baker’s (Kraft) 100% unsweetened baking choc a month. Fortunately came out negative. Get a urine sample if you are concerned.
“Clean Label Project... ran nearly 36,000 tests”
Analytical tests for trace elements are not cheap and require expensive equipment. $10/test? $100/test?
Maybe they are considering examining the results for each element a “test,” but one actual run through the instrument might have identified ten or more elements. That would mean actual test runs are far less than 36,000.
Either way, the “Clean Label Project” has access to sophisticated instrumentation and a big budget. So just who is this “Clean Label Project,” who is funding them and why should they be trusted?
So are there names we should be concerned about?
“It’s the only way that you can travel down that road”
They are currently kept private; however, the pea protein powders were generally safer.
Just for shiznits and giggles, I bought psyllium husk fiber and used it for a while. It tasted like chemicals, quite frankly, and after thinking about it I eventually stopped using it. I am convinced the stuff WAS contaminated, and it was from India.
Skip the powder, eat a burger.
Next problem?
This makes me very suspicious. Why would they not name the brands ?
“Is your protein powder safe? Report reveals high heavy metal levels (Plant protein)”
hell no! ... there’s NO white powder of any kind from china that’s safe unless it’s been tested safe by HPLC ...
Why does the ‘organic’ version have so much lead?
Apparently they are using pesticides and lying about being organic.
I do not trust any organic certification for anything coming from overseas.
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