Kathrine Frich
They are often marketed as a clean, efficient way to boost health.
For many consumers trying to improve their diets, supplements have become a quick fix.
Over time, protein drinks and powders have shifted from niche fitness products to household staples, promoted across gyms, grocery aisles and influencer feeds.
But as their popularity has grown, so have questions about what these products actually contain.
Troubling new findings
A new investigation by Consumer Reports (CR) indicates that heavy metal contamination remains a serious issue in the protein supplement industry.
CR tested 23 powders and ready-to-drink shakes across leading brands and found that contamination is now more common than when the organisation last conducted similar tests 15 years ago.
More than two-thirds of the products examined contained more lead in a single serving than CR’s food safety specialists consider safe to consume in an entire day.
In some cases, the amounts exceeded that threshold tenfold.
“It’s concerning that these results are even worse than the last time we tested,” said Tunde Akinleye, the CR food safety researcher who oversaw the analysis.
Plant-based products stand out
CR’s testing revealed that plant-based powders had consistently higher levels of lead than those made with whey or beef-derived proteins.
Two plant-based supplements contained between 1,200 and 1,600 percent of CR’s daily concern level for lead, prompting experts to advise against using them at all.
Another two exceeded the level of concern by 400 to 600 percent and should be limited to weekly use, the organisation said.
On average, plant-based options had nine times more lead than dairy-based alternatives, which generally showed the lowest levels of contamination.
Still, half of the dairy formulas tested contained enough lead for CR to warn against daily consumption.
Assessing real-world risk
CR emphasises that these findings should not cause alarm among occasional users. Even the most contaminated products remain far below levels associated with acute poisoning.
But given that most people already meet their daily protein needs through food, the organisation questions whether routine supplement use is worthwhile.
“Many of these powders are fine to have occasionally, and even those with the highest lead levels are far below the concentration needed to cause immediate harm,” Akinleye said. He added:
“For many people, there’s more to lose than you’re gaining.”
Harvard Medical School’s Pieter Cohen, MD, echoed that message, noting that consumers often assume supplements are inherently safe.
“But that’s not true,” he said.
Sources: Consumer Reports, Washington Post.
