Your post-workout protein shake may come with some hidden dangerous ingredients. A new report finds that a substantial proportion of over-the-counter protein powders contain potentially unsafe levels of lead and other toxic metals.
Researchers at the non-profit organization Clean Labels Project conducted the study, which tested dozens of consumer protein powder brands. Out of the 160 products tested, 47% had levels of lead, cadmium, and other toxic metals that exceeded the safety threshold established by Proposition 65, a 1986 law passed in California that regulates exposure to over 900 substances within the state. Organic, plant-based, and chocolate-containing protein powders were significantly more likely to contain these metals than other brands, according to the report.
Though lead exposure in general has greatly decreased since the 1970s (thanks largely to the phasing out of lead-infused gasoline), there are still certain consumer products known to have a higher risk of contamination. A study last summer, for instance, 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 bought and tested 160 protein powder products across 70 different top-selling brands, which reportedly accounted for 83% of the market. In addition to the 47% of products that exceeded Prop 65 levels of lead and other metals, 21% were found to have lead levels twice as high as the Prop 65 limit. About 65% of chocolate-containing powders had high lead levels; 77% of plant-based powders had high lead levels; and 79% of organic powders had high lead levels, including 41% of products that had lead levels twice as high as the Prop 65 limit. These types of products were also more likely to contain cadmium than other brands.
“The study’s findings highlight that despite the growing health-conscious market, many products may contain elevated levels of contaminants not reflected on traditional nutrition labels,” the report authors wrote. The report declines to list the specific brands detected to have lead and other metals, though it does note that whey and collagen-based powders were substantially 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 research has also suggested that the average heavy metal exposure from consuming protein powder supplements isn’t likely to cause people adverse health effects, such as a higher risk of cancer. At the same time, there isn’t a truly safe level of lead exposure, and lead exposure early on in life is known to raise the risk of developmental issues. And the report 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 findings. Levels of bisphenols—hormone-disrupting chemicals thought to negatively affect people’s health—in protein powders have substantially declined 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 the products that the organization tested as part of a similar report in 2018.
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