Nobody who buys a top-rated protein energy expects they’re additionally sipping lead, BPA, and mercury. However a current unbiased research confirmed that protein powder aficionados are getting far more endocrine disruption than they signed up for1. The Clear Label Mission lately tasked an unbiased lab with testing 160 of the main protein powders from 70 top-selling manufacturers (over 80 p.c of the market providing) for 130 completely different toxins. The findings had been surprising, to say the least.
Most protein powders on the American market contained hazardous contaminants like mercury, BPA, and even arsenic. To high all of it off, the worst offenders had been plant-based and natural protein powders, greater than 75 p.c of which had measurable ranges of heavy metals like lead.
“It’s horrifying,” stated Jackie Bowen, MPH, MS, Clear Label Mission govt director, “to suppose people who find themselves attempting to eat more healthy by incorporating a dietary protein powder complement into their food plan may very well be ingesting lead and BPA.”
Practically Half of the Examined Protein Powders Contained Unsafe Ranges of Heavy Metals
Forty-seven p.c of the protein powders included within the check exceeded no less than one state or federal regulatory security threshold for poisonous metals. Over a fifth of them contained ranges greater than twice as excessive as these allowed underneath California Proposition 65, a 1986 regulation requiring companies to offer warnings about potential publicity to harmful chemical compounds.
In keeping with Dr. Joseph Mercola, Board Licensed Household Drugs Osteopathic Doctor (DO) and Creator of Your Guide to Mobile Well being, this can be a main well being danger.
“Even low ranges of heavy metals like lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury can accumulate in your physique over time, resulting in extreme well being points akin to neurological impairment, organ failure, and an elevated danger of most cancers,” he stated. ”The absence of federal rules governing heavy metals in dietary dietary supplements solely exacerbates this drawback, leaving shoppers weak to potential long-term well being penalties.”
Three-Quarters of Plant-Primarily based Powders Contained A great deal of Lead
The protein in protein powder has to return from someplace. In lots of instances, it comes from an animal supply: whey and casein come from dairy; collagen is usually sourced from cattle, or egg. Plant-based alternate options could also be made with all forms of naturally wealthy sources of protein like soy, pea, or rice.
However whereas plant-based diets have been confirmed to be more healthy for each individuals and the planet, the identical can’t be stated of plant-based protein powders, which had been among the worst contenders with reference to lead contamination. A whopping 77 p.c of plant-based powders within the check exceeded Prop 65 ranges for the heavy metallic — 3 times greater than whey- or collagen-based alternate options.
The results of lead publicity are nothing to fiddle with — even low ranges of lead publicity can have devastating well being results. In keeping with the Nationwide Institute of Environmental Well being Providers, blood ranges beneath 10 µg/dl are related to hypertension and will increase in blood stress2. Even half that quantity might result in decreased kidney perform.
Along with lead in protein powders, plant-based protein powders had been discovered to include mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. Sean Callan, PhD, director of operations and high quality at Ellipse Analytics, the lab that carried out the testing, says this, could also be the results of contaminated soil on the supply.
“That is very true in america,” he stated, “the place there could also be a better incidence of heavy metals within the soil of some areas.”
Natural Protein Powders Had been Extra Contaminated than Standard
If shoppers of natural protein powders thought they had been within the clear, these outcomes supply a impolite awakening. Natural protein powders had been even extra contaminated than standard alternate options, with 79 p.c of natural protein powders exceeding Prop 65 acceptable ranges for heavy metals.
Forty-one p.c of natural protein powders examined over twice the Prop 65 really useful restrict for lead, with 3 times as a lot as the traditional powders. In addition they contained twice the quantity of cadmium, a cumulative nephrotoxicant. Even low ranges of cadmium had been proven to contribute to kidney dysfunction and reduces in bone mineral density3.
2020 analysis within the Worldwide Journal of Environmental Analysis and Public Well being confirmed that low ranges of cadmium publicity might additionally harm the liver and cardiovascular system and result in adversarial results on each feminine and male replica4. Girls naturally have a better cadmium physique burden than males, the research authors defined. Compounded with the substance’s impact on the skeletal system and hormones, this might improve the probability of creating osteoporosis.
Mercola discovered the upper presence of contaminants in natural powders “curious,” seeing as biosludge, artificial fertilizers, and pesticides aren’t permitted in natural agriculture. He posited that this might stem from a variety of things, together with soil that had already been contaminated previous to its conversion to natural farming.
“Moreover, the worldwide ingredient provide chain usually lacks stringent qc, permitting contaminants to slide by way of unnoticed,” he added. “Natural requirements additionally fluctuate from nation to nation, and natural fraud is huge enterprise. Put fraud and lack of qc collectively, and it turns into simpler to see how this seeming paradox can happen.”
Chocolate-Flavored Choices Had been Extra Contaminated
Chocoholics might wish to select a cleaner chocolate supply than cocoa-flavored protein powders. Chocolate powders contained 4 instances extra lead — and as much as 110 instances extra cadmium — than vanilla alternate options, with 65 p.c of chocolate protein powders exceeding Prop 65 ranges for the heavy metallic and 29 p.c containing over twice the really useful restrict.
This, Mercola stated, stems from cocoa’s susceptibility to heavy metallic accumulation. “Cocoa vegetation have a pure propensity to soak up metals like cadmium from the soil,” he stated. This assertion was confirmed by a 2020 research in Science of the Whole Atmosphere showcasing the presence of cadmium in cocoa5.
“The areas the place cocoa is predominantly grown, akin to elements of South America, usually have soils which can be both naturally excessive in these metals or have been contaminated by industrial and/or agricultural actions,” Mercola added. “Furthermore, the processing of cocoa can introduce extra contaminants if not managed correctly.”
With all of those danger components to contemplate, vanilla is unquestionably the safer alternative.
The Silver Lining? BPA Ranges Have Fallen
The hazards of BPA are well-established, with research linking the chemical present in plastics and resins to hormone disruption, metabolic illness, and even most cancers6. Because of this, the {industry} has largely shifted away from utilizing it, and BPA-free packaging is pretty widespread.
These industry-wide adjustments led to the one silver lining of the research: BPA was solely current in three of the examined powders. This confirmed a marked enchancment as in comparison with Clear Label Mission’s 2018 research, the place a whopping 55 p.c of merchandise contained BPA or BPS, a substitute for BPA that has confirmed much more harmful than BPA7.
Selecting a Wholesome Protein Supply
If you happen to do wish to complement your food plan with protein, there are completely nonetheless methods to do this with out consuming lead within the course of. So what are wholesome sources of protein you may substitute your typical powder for?
Protein Powder Manufacturers You Can Belief
The research talked about just a few manufacturers as cleaner choices:
To those, Dr. Mark Hyman provided his personal options, recommending clear, grass-fed whey protein that’s third-party examined. Examples embrace:
- MT. Copra
- Pure Paleo
- Sprout Dwelling
Protein Powders Are Not the Be-All and Finish-All
Whereas protein powder is actually a fast and simple approach so as to add extra protein to your food plan, there are extra pure methods to get the vitamin you want — with out the endocrine-disrupting chemical compounds. “Skip the powders when you may,” Hyman urged in an Instagram put up. He really useful that folks select complete meals proteins as alternate options to protein powder, like pasture-raised eggs, wild-caught salmon, grass-fed beef, and nuts and seeds as a substitute.
These complete sources notably don’t include components like sugars, synthetic sweeteners and synthetic flavors, which Mercola famous are widespread in protein powders and might have unfavorable repercussions on our well being.
Shift the Dialog Away From Protein
Protein dietary supplements characterize an enormous {industry}, with a market measurement of $11.36 billion in 2025 within the U.S. alone — and the protein powders phase held the biggest share of the protein dietary supplements market8. This surge represents widespread demand for health merchandise, but in addition a newfound obsession with the macronutrient.
Protein is, after all, a necessary constructing block of human tissue, contributing to replica, bone and muscle development, and a wholesome immune system. However nowadays, our protein obsession has gotten the higher of us, main most People to devour far more than we’d like — round twice the quantity really useful within the federal dietary pointers9.
“Clearly, protein is important for well being, nevertheless it’s necessary to strike the suitable stability,” stated Mercola, who recommends utilizing the components of .8 grams of protein per pound of your ideally suited physique weight to find out your optimum protein consumption. Solely about 15 p.c of every day energy ought to come from protein, he stated, and a few third must be within the type of collagen, akin to bone broth or fatty fish. “Few People get wherever close to the quantity of collagen required for optimum well being,” he stated.
In abstract, whereas it’s admirable to wish to complement our diets with macronutrients, it’s greatest to attempt to take action with complete meals. When that’s not potential, do your analysis to discover a clear product that meets your wants (with no aspect of heavy metals). And don’t get too centered on any single macronutrient over the larger image — likelihood is, you may be lacking out on different vitamins which can be simply as necessary.
Sources:
- https://www.niehs.nih.gov/well being/matters/brokers/lead
- https://cleanlabelproject.org/wp-content/uploads/CleanLabelProject_ProteinStudyWhitepaper_010625.pdf
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1247384/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7312803/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969720311566
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7460848/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7071457/
- https://www.instagram.com/p/DFKmhmEPpDn/
- https://www.precedenceresearch.com/us-protein-supplements-market
- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/28/nicely/eat/how-much-protein-do-we-need.html
