Protein Powders and Shakes Contain High Levels of Lead

[Nittersing]

https://www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein-powders-and-shakes-contain-high-levels-of-lead-a4206364640/

Protein supplements are wildly popular, but CR’s tests of 23 products found that more than two-thirds of them contain more lead in a single serving than our experts say is safe to have in a day

"Much has changed since Consumer Reports first tested protein powders and shakes. Over the past 15 years, Americans’ obsession with protein has transformed what had been a niche product into the centerpiece of a multibillion-dollar wellness craze, driving booming supplement sales and spawning a new crop of protein-fortified foods that now saturate supermarket shelves and social media feeds.

Yet for all the industry’s growth and rebranding, one thing hasn’t changed: Protein powders still carry troubling levels of toxic heavy metals, according to a new Consumer Reports investigation. Our latest tests of 23 protein powders and ready-to-drink shakes from popular brands found that heavy metal contamination has become even more common among protein products, raising concerns that the risks are growing right alongside the industry itself.

For more than two-thirds of the products we analyzed, a single serving contained more lead than CR’s food safety experts say is safe to consume in a day—some by more than 10 times.

“It’s concerning that these results are even worse than the last time we tested,” said Tunde Akinleye, the CR food safety researcher who led the testing project. This time, in addition to the average level of lead being higher than what we found 15 years ago, there were also fewer products with undetectable amounts of it. The outliers also packed a heavier punch. Naked Nutrition’s Vegan Mass Gainer powder, the product with the highest lead levels, had nearly twice as much lead per serving as the worst product we analyzed in 2010."

[bucolic_frolic]

1. So the lead originates in the soil that grows the plants that the animals feed on

Not reassuring for meat in the supermarket.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. Which is why the vegan/vegetarian powdered have much higher amounts of lead.

[tanyev]

3. That could explain a lot. What is Hegseth's favorite protein powder?

[pandr32]

4. I just sent the link to my son.

He thinks protein supplements are helping him get in good shape, but his diet is pretty good and he is working out more. It is easy to get enough protein through our diets and marketing is behind us thinking we need to spend tons of money on these supplements.

[WarGamer]

5. Wow... Isn't some gov't entity supposed to be watching things like this?

If a protein shake is like eating decades old paint chips... why allow it?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

6. Supplements are regulated very differently than food, and it's going to take a lot of pressure to change.

[WarGamer]

7. The EU has solid regulations re: Lead

[WhiskeyGrinder]

8. Yes, it can be done. It has not been done at the federal level in this country.