Protein powders with dangerous lead levels
Discussion
Worrying findings from the US. Is it similar for protein powders sold in Britain?
https://www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein-powde...

https://www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein-powde...
MK3 Dan said:
I don't see the My Protein stuff mentioned.
Hopefully that's ok, I have just stocked up on two bags!
Looks to be an American study, MP is British and I'm assuming not sold in the US, at least not in significant enough numbers to be the subject of study.Hopefully that's ok, I have just stocked up on two bags!
Edit: I stand corrected, they have a manufacturing plant in Kentucky according to Wiki. The owner, THG, doesn't appear to own any other supplement companies/market under other brands so can't draw any parallels there.
Edited by horsemeatscandal on Wednesday 15th October 21:06
Huels response, the level acceptable is theoretically zero in the state of California so you either ingest lead in some form by eating / drinking or starve to death.
https://uk.huel.com/pages/heavy-metals-in-protein-...
Plants absorb lead, therefore plant based protein drinks contain lead. But so do all other foods.
https://uk.huel.com/pages/heavy-metals-in-protein-...
Plants absorb lead, therefore plant based protein drinks contain lead. But so do all other foods.
horsemeatscandal said:
biggbn said:
Jeez, my protein is plant based. I'll have to have a look at the ingredients with a bit more care...
I haven't read the article but I'm assuming they aren't listing lead as an ingredient?It seems that the plant based proteins lead content comes from the soil the plants are grown in...so, surely all/most plants contain lead and metals.. as does anything that eats said plants...erm, cows etc...? We will all be ingesting naturally occurring metals in our diets and have been forever seems to be the message here?
biggbn said:
It seems that the plant based proteins lead content comes from the soil the plants are grown in...so, surely all/most plants contain lead and metals.. as does anything that eats said plants...erm, cows etc...? We will all be ingesting naturally occurring metals in our diets and have been forever seems to be the message here?
don’t worry the Mercury in the fish will get you first, if you haven’t died to a brain tumour from using a mobile phone that is of course Dave Hedgehog said:
biggbn said:
It seems that the plant based proteins lead content comes from the soil the plants are grown in...so, surely all/most plants contain lead and metals.. as does anything that eats said plants...erm, cows etc...? We will all be ingesting naturally occurring metals in our diets and have been forever seems to be the message here?
don t worry the Mercury in the fish will get you first, if you haven t died to a brain tumour from using a mobile phone that is of course 
I got really into protein smoothies recently. From a completely cold start I went up to two a day and definitely gave me side effects, mainly GERD. But a whole host of other stuff too. I stopped as abruptly as I started and the symptoms went away. I was using the PhD stuff. Not so smart, it turns out.
I don't think there is any shortcut that gets you where whole foods take you.
I don't think there is any shortcut that gets you where whole foods take you.
lizardbrain said:
I got really into protein smoothies recently. From a completely cold start I went up to two a day and definitely gave me side effects, mainly GERD. But a whole host of other stuff too. I stopped as abruptly as I started and the symptoms went away. I was using the PhD stuff. Not so smart, it turns out.
I don't think there is any shortcut that gets you where whole foods take you.
Agreed. I only take them due to the lack of protein in my diet. I don't think there is any shortcut that gets you where whole foods take you.
I'm interested in what their assumptions are and what their numbers mean.
"A single serving of these protein powders contained between 1,200 and 1,600 percent of CR’s level of concern for lead, which is 0.5 micrograms per day"
OK, how much lead do people normally eat?
https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2...
"In a SCOOP report published in 2004, dietary exposure to lead in twelve participating EU MemberStates was estimated to be on average 42 µg/day in adults (SCOOP, 2004). This is equivalent to 0.7 µg/kg b.w. per day assuming a body weight of 60 kg. Exposure estimates for some individualMember States showed 60 to 70 % higher mean values for children aged 4 to 6 years than for adultson a body weight basis. Not all food groups were represented in the study in all participating countriesand occurrence values below the limit of detection were handled differently, although half the LODwas frequently entered."
If their klaxon goes off at 0.5 micrograms a day, it's going to be going off an awful lot, nobody is eating that little.
"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"
What are those protein goals? British Nutrition Foundation recommends 0.75 g / kg / day. American RDA is 0.8 g / kg / day. Lots of studies however suggest real benefits to eating 1-2 g / kg / day.
How would you achieve those protein goals? You can obviously just keep eating anything with protein in it until you reach you 0.75g / 0.8g / 1g / 2g target, but lots of foods which contain protein also contain other stuff - carbohydrates, fats - and if you are trying to constrain your total calorific intake or your carbohydrate intake, you might not be able to eat enough of them.
This reads like scaremongering. They don't have an obvious agenda, so why are they doing it?
"A single serving of these protein powders contained between 1,200 and 1,600 percent of CR’s level of concern for lead, which is 0.5 micrograms per day"
OK, how much lead do people normally eat?
https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2...
"In a SCOOP report published in 2004, dietary exposure to lead in twelve participating EU MemberStates was estimated to be on average 42 µg/day in adults (SCOOP, 2004). This is equivalent to 0.7 µg/kg b.w. per day assuming a body weight of 60 kg. Exposure estimates for some individualMember States showed 60 to 70 % higher mean values for children aged 4 to 6 years than for adultson a body weight basis. Not all food groups were represented in the study in all participating countriesand occurrence values below the limit of detection were handled differently, although half the LODwas frequently entered."
If their klaxon goes off at 0.5 micrograms a day, it's going to be going off an awful lot, nobody is eating that little.
"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"
What are those protein goals? British Nutrition Foundation recommends 0.75 g / kg / day. American RDA is 0.8 g / kg / day. Lots of studies however suggest real benefits to eating 1-2 g / kg / day.
How would you achieve those protein goals? You can obviously just keep eating anything with protein in it until you reach you 0.75g / 0.8g / 1g / 2g target, but lots of foods which contain protein also contain other stuff - carbohydrates, fats - and if you are trying to constrain your total calorific intake or your carbohydrate intake, you might not be able to eat enough of them.
This reads like scaremongering. They don't have an obvious agenda, so why are they doing it?
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