Some protein powders, particularly plant-based and chocolate-flavoured varieties, have been found to contain heavy metals like lead and cadmium, according to a recent report out of the United States.
The report released on Jan. 9 from the Clean Label Project, (a non-profit organization that examines labelling safety issues) tested 160 protein powder products from 70 leading brands, representing 83 per cent of the market share in the U.S.
The tests screened for heavy metals, including lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury. The report did not disclose the names of the companies tested or the specific levels of the metals identified in the testing of each product.
Although this is a U.S. study, many of the major protein powders sold in the country are also available in Canada.
“The study’s findings highlight that despite the growing health-conscious market, many products may contain elevated levels of contaminants not reflected on traditional nutrition labels,” the report stated.
Organic protein powders contained, on average, three times more lead and twice as much cadmium compared to their non-organic counterparts, the report found. Plant-based protein powders (like soy, rice, peas and other plants) showed triple the lead levels than whey-based alternatives. And chocolate-flavoured powders contained four times more lead than vanilla-flavoured options, the report stated.
Depending on the level of exposure, lead and cadmium have been found to cause various health issues, including kidney damage, bone loss, reproductive problems and increased risk of cancer. Both metals also occur naturally in the environment, while human activities have significantly increased their presence in the environment.
“As a result, it is present in trace amounts in virtually all the foods we eat. In addition to naturally occurring lead, food can be contaminated from several sources,” Health Canada stated on its website. “Lead is widespread in the human environment, so manufacturing a product with zero lead is generally not possible.”
The report argued that these chemicals can enter protein powders through environmental exposure, agricultural practices and packaging materials.
The protein powders tested by the Clean Label Project had a range of positive results for levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury.
The report found that 47 per cent of the products tested exceeded at least one U.S. federal or state safety standard. For instance, under California’s Proposition 65, the maximum allowable level for lead in food products is set at 0.5 micrograms per day.
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To put that in perspective, Felicia Wu, a professor of food safety, toxicology and risk assessment at Michigan State University, explained that this amount is extremely tiny — far lighter than a paper clip.
In Canada, Health Canada sets maximum allowable levels for chemical contaminants, including lead, in various foods. While specific limits for protein powders are not available, the general maximum levels for lead in foods are outlined in the List of Maximum Levels for Various Chemical Contaminants in Foods.
For instance, the maximum level of lead in fruit juices is 0.05 parts per million (ppm).
In infant formula, the maximum level of lead allowed is 0.001 ppm.
Lead and cadmium are naturally occurring in the environment and can be found in various foods (such as chocolate), making their detection in food unsurprising, Wu explained.
Wu added that the real issue with the Clean Label Project’s report lies in the lack of data about how the metals were detected and measured in the protein powder.
“The authors of this report never said what assumptions they made about how much protein powder a person was consuming in the day. So there’s no way that we could know how they calculated it,” she said.
For example, California’s Proposition 65 provides specific guidelines on the tolerable daily threshold of lead, measured in micrograms, that a person can consume.
“For that kind of information, you need to know two other things. First, you need to know how much of a particular food the average person would consume per day, for example, how many grams? And then you need to know what the concentration of lead or cadmium was in that particular food,” Wu said.
Since the report did not provide this information, she said, it’s impossible to determine the amount that was found or the concentrations of lead and cadmium in the different protein powders.
Health Canada states that “trace amounts of lead in a consumer product should not pose a health risk.”
However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains that no level of lead exposure is safe for humans.
“Lead is a toxic metal that can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels. Lead is persistent, and it can bioaccumulate in the body over time,” the agency said.
Children, infants, and fetuses are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure as developing organs and systems are more susceptible to the toxic effects of lead, the EPA states.
Even low levels of lead can adversely affect their health, leading to developmental delays, learning difficulties, irritability, loss of appetite, weight loss, sluggishness, fatigue, abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation, hearing loss and, in severe cases, seizures.
It is also risky for pregnant people. Lead can accumulate in our bodies over time, where it is stored in bones along with calcium. During pregnancy, lead is released from bones as maternal calcium and is used to help form the bones of the fetus, the EPA said.
Lead may not produce specific symptoms if consumed at low levels, Health Canada said, but exposure to high amounts may cause more prominent symptoms including headaches, irritability, abdominal pain, vomiting, general weakness and paleness.
This is not the first time lead and other metals have been found in protein powders.
A report by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), looked at toxic metals in selected foods between 2018 and 2019 and found that protein powders had a wider range of lead levels detected compared to other product types (like infant formula).
The lead levels ranged from 0 ppm to 0.237 ppm. Protein powders also had the highest levels of detected mercury and cadmium.
However, when it comes to the report by the Clean Label Project, until more data is given, Wu does not believe people should rush to throw out their protein powder.
“I don’t think that there’s a reason for people to throw this out, but I think it’s, of course, always helpful for people to be aware and maybe to ask for more data,” she said.
People are constantly exposed to toxic metals in the environment, so the key consideration is whether consuming a particular protein powder significantly increases that exposure, Wu said.
“And that question is something that we need more information before we can determine that.”