Protein powders with dangerous lead levels
Protein powders with dangerous lead levels
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Discussion

Salted_Peanut

Original Poster:

1,766 posts

72 months

Wednesday
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Worrying findings from the US. Is it similar for protein powders sold in Britain?

https://www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein-powde...


AudiSport

1,495 posts

234 months

Wednesday
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I’ve been using WHEY gold standard for years, I’m glad to see it’s on their ‘ok’ list.

It’s great stuff, and helped me loose 3 Stone.

biggbn

28,356 posts

238 months

Wednesday
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Jeez, my protein is plant based. I'll have to have a look at the ingredients with a bit more care...

MK3 Dan

335 posts

163 months

Wednesday
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I don't see the My Protein stuff mentioned.

Hopefully that's ok, I have just stocked up on two bags!

horsemeatscandal

1,962 posts

122 months

Wednesday
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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?

horsemeatscandal

1,962 posts

122 months

Wednesday
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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.

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

996Type

999 posts

170 months

Wednesday
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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.

TameRacingDriver

19,569 posts

290 months

Wednesday
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I took Huel Black Edition daily for probably around a year rolleyes

Gave it up a few months ago as I thought it better to eat unprocessed food.

biggbn

28,356 posts

238 months

Thursday
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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?
Yeah, badly worded. I'll have to find out what powders are affected.

Gary29

4,639 posts

117 months

Thursday
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TameRacingDriver said:
I took Huel Black Edition daily for probably around a year rolleyes

Gave it up a few months ago as I thought it better to eat unprocessed food.
Me too, still do in fact.

WH16

7,513 posts

236 months

Thursday
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I used to use ON but switched to MP a few years ago, which isn't listed.

I also take 1-2 scoops of Huel Black daily, which I may now rethink, and perhaps go back to the white bags.

biggbn

28,356 posts

238 months

Thursday
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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?

Dave Hedgehog

15,370 posts

222 months

Thursday
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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

biggbn

28,356 posts

238 months

Thursday
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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
Not much danger of either of those things killing me smile . My point was this story sounds like usual sensationalist journalism. If the 'heavy metals' are coming from the soil, surely we are all eating it all the time as everything, bar the mercury infused fish you mention, comes from the earth or is fed on something that does...

BoRED S2upid

20,842 posts

258 months

Thursday
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WH16 said:
I used to use ON but switched to MP a few years ago, which isn't listed.

I also take 1-2 scoops of Huel Black daily, which I may now rethink, and perhaps go back to the white bags.
Huel didn’t come out of Joe Wicks documentary very well.

lizardbrain

3,191 posts

55 months

Thursday
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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.

biggbn

28,356 posts

238 months

Thursday
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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.

otolith

63,075 posts

222 months

Thursday
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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?

wombleh

2,186 posts

140 months

Thursday
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Am I reading that right, their experts say it’s dangerous levels, but based on those figures it’s about 1% of the daily “normal” amount of lead from a plant based protein shake.

horsemeatscandal

1,962 posts

122 months

Thursday
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The whole food system is fked. Soil's fked. Water's fked. Processed food is poison. Plastic in everything. Soy gives you tits. Just enjoy a bit of what you like and try not to get too fat I reckon.