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Protein supplements full of lead [1]

['Rob Beschizza']

Date: 2025-10-15  

Have you noticed a subtle tendency for protein supplement users to be different in other ways too? Maybe it's the lead. Researchers at Consumer Reports tested various protein powders and shakes and their conclusion was Jesus Christ that's a lot of lead.

For more than two-thirds of the products we analyzed, a single serving contained more lead than CR's food safety experts say is safe to consume in a day—some by more than 10 times. "It's concerning that these results are even worse than the last time we tested," said Tunde Akinleye, the CR food safety researcher who led the testing project. This time, in addition to the average level of lead being higher than what we found 15 years ago, there were also fewer products with undetectable amounts of it. The outliers also packed a heavier punch. Naked Nutrition's Vegan Mass Gainer powder, the product with the highest lead levels, had nearly twice as much lead per serving as the worst product we analyzed in 2010. … Two had so much lead that CR's experts caution against using them at all. 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.

It's an America problem: an effectively unregulated market and "the fine is a price" in the unlikely event of enforcement.

Manufacturers generally don't even have to notify the FDA when introducing a new product. A 2023 Government Accountability Office report found the FDA's oversight of the supplement industry so lacking that it urged Congress to expand its authority. The report noted that the FDA relies largely on voluntarily submitted complaints and inspections to identify safety issues and ensure companies are complying with manufacturing guidelines.

Also found were delicious lashings of cadmium and inorganic arsenic. The report's writers "advise against daily use" and remind readers that there are many other sources of protein that one may consume. Lean meats, eggs, milk, cheese, beans, lentils, nuts, tofu, edamame… If you need the slimy shake experience just shove it in a blender with psyllium husks or something. Delicious!

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