Popular protein powders found to contain dangerous heavy metals: Report

[Craig Nigrelli]

IF YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION WAS TO GET IN SHAPE – YOU MIGHT WANT TO RE-EVALUATE THE PROTEIN POWDER YOU’RE USING TO HELP BUILD UP THOSE MUSCLES.

NEARLY HALF OF SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR PROTEIN POWDERS HAVE BEEN FOUND TO CONTAIN HEAVY METALS – LIKE LEAD AND CADMIUM.

A NEW REPORT BY THE CLEAN LABEL PROJECT – A NONPROFIT THAT ADVOCATES FOR TRANSPARENT FOOD LABELING – SHOWS 47 PERCENT OF OVER-THE-COUNTER PROTEIN POWDERS CONTAIN HEAVY METAL AMOUNTS EXCEEDING AT LEAST ONE FEDERAL OR STATE GUIDELINE. 

THERE IS **NO** LEVEL OF LEAD THAT IS SAFE FOR HUMANS – ACCORDING TO THE U-S ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY.

AND CADMIUM IS A CARCINOGEN THAT’S ALSO TOXIC TO THE HEART, KIDNEYS, GUT, BRAIN, RESPIRATORY AND REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEMS.

THE REPORT SAYS THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS WERE FOUND IN ORGANIC, PLANT-BASED, AND CHOCOLATE-FLAVORED PROTEIN POWDERS.

IT SAYS ON AVERAGE – ORGANIC POWDERS CONTAINED THREE TIMES MORE LEAD AND TWICE THE AMOUNT OF CADMIUM NON-ORGANIC PRODUCTS DID.

AND PLANT-BASED POWDERS – LIKE THOSE MADE FROM SOY, RICE, AND PEAS – WERE FOUND TO CONTAIN THREE TIMES MORE LEAD THAN WHEY-BASED PRODUCTS.

WHEY IS THE LIQUID BYPRODUCT CREATED WHEN CHEESE IS MADE.

PLANTS ALREADY NATURALLY ABSORB HEAVY METALS FROM THE EARTH WHEN THEY’RE GROWING… BUT LEAD LEVELS CAN BE HIGHER IF THEY’RE GROWN IN SOIL CONTAMINATED BY MINING, INDUSTRIAL WASTE, AND SOME PESTICIDES AND FERTILIZERS.

AND THOSE DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE-FLAVORED PROTEIN POWDERS THAT CAN HELP MAKE THE FITNESS SUPPLEMENT MORE APPETIZING?

THEY’RE SOME OF THE WORST OFFENDERS.

THE CLEAN LABEL PROJECT FOUND CHOCOLATE-FLAVORED POWDERS HAD UP TO FOUR TIMES MORE LEAD AND 110 TIMES MORE CADMIUM THAN VANILLA-FLAVORED ONES.

FOR THE REPORT, RESEARCHERS TESTED 160 PRODUCTS FROM 70 OF THE TOP-SELLING BRANDS – REPRESENTING 83 PERCENT OF THE MARKET.

THERE IS SOME GOOD NEWS, HOWEVER.

THE SAME STUDY FOUND THAT SINCE 20-18 – BISPHENOL (biss-FEEN-all) LEVELS, LIKE HARMFUL B-P-A, IN PROTEIN POWDERS WERE ONLY DETECTED IN THREE OF THE 160 POWDERS TESTED… WHILE MORE THAN HALF HAD THEM IN 20-18.

REMEMBER – YOU CAN KEEP UP WITH ALL YOUR LATEST HEALTH HEADLINES BY DOWNLOADING THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP TODAY.