Organic protein powders, often used by workout enthusiasts to gain muscle mass, may contain “worrying” levels of lead and cadmium.
At least that’s what a new report released Thursday by the Clean Label Project reports.
According to the investigation, organic and plant-based protein powders could contain three times more lead and twice as much cadmium than whey products.
“On average, organic protein powders contained three times as much lead and twice as much cadmium as non-organic products,” Clean Label Project executive director Jaclyn Bowen told CNN.
This could be explained by the fact that plants naturally absorb heavy metals from the earth’s crust.
However, the quantities of heavy metals could be higher if the plants are grown in soil contaminated by mining, industrial waste and certain pesticides and fertilizers, the report indicates.
The investigation found that a total of 80% of the plant-based and organic protein powders tested exceeded the set lead limit.
As for the 160 protein powder samples tested, a total of 47% exceeded regulatory guidelines.
Chocolate protein powders
Chocolate-flavored protein powders would also worry study researchers, compared to vanilla-flavored ones.
“Chocolate-flavored protein powders contained four times more lead and up to 110 times more cadmium than vanilla-flavored powders,” Bowen said.
Indeed, dark chocolate or cocoa could contain high levels of heavy metals, according to the current study.
A study published in July 2024 also confirmed this thesis, revealing that 43% of six dozen dark chocolate products exceeded the maximum authorized dose of lead, according to CNN.
On the other hand, an industry association that represents supplement manufacturers defended itself to CNN, indicating a “lack of transparency on the criteria used for the contamination thresholds and on the way in which the products were selected”.
“Without such clarity, consumers and industry stakeholders cannot fully assess the validity of claims,” said Andrea Wong, CRN’s senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs.
– With information from CNN
