Protein powder may be good for pumping iron – but it’s also apparently a way to introduce toxic metal into your body, according to a new report.
Consumer watchdog group, Consumer Reports, recently analyzed 23 protein powders and instant shake mixes and found that more than two-thirds of them contained unsafe or concerning levels of lead.
In fact, more than two-thirds of the samples contained more lead in a single serving than humans should be ingesting in an entire day, according to the report published Tuesday.
The evidence suggested to researchers that lead contamination in protein powders is getting worse.
“It’s concerning that these results are even worse than the last time we tested,” Tunde Akinleye, a Consumer Reports food safety researcher, said.
Consumer Reports has been testing for lead in food and drink products for years. In addition to finding more protein powders with unsafe levels of lead, the report also found that there are fewer products with untraceable amounts of lead in their mixes.
Naked Nutrition’s Vegan Mass Gainer powder had the highest lead levels — 7.7 micrograms per serving — almost twice as much per serving as the worst product Consumer Reports tested in 2010.
Virtually all of the plant-based powders and mixes tested had elevated lead levels, but two stood out.
Two of the products had such high lead levels that the watchdog group warned against using them at all. A single serving of one of the powders had between 1,200 and 1,600 percent of what Consumer Reports considered a concerning level of lead — 0.5 micrograms per day.
The report suggested skipping Naked Nutrition Vegan Mass Gainer and Huel Black Edition protein powder completely due to their high lead content.
The Independent has requested comment from Naked Nutrition and Huel.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says there is no known safe level of lead exposure.
“We advise against daily use for most protein powders, since many have high levels of heavy metals and none are necessary to hit your protein goals,” Akinleye said in the report.
James Clark, chief marketing officer for Naked Nutrition, issued a statement to The New York Times saying the company had been aware of Consumer Report’s testing and had commissioned an independent test in response. The company said it “confirmed that no heavy metals exceeded FDA reference intake levels.”
