Lead and Cadmium May Be in Your Chocolate Protein Powder: Here’s Why

You’ve likely heard by now about a new report that detected higher-than-acceptable levels of heavy metals lead and cadmium in many popular protein powders. (If not, consider this your heads up.) The analysis and report, which was conducted by the nonprofit organization Clean Label Project, discovered that chocolate-flavored powders contained some of the largest amounts of these toxic metals in the study.

For the study, researchers took 160 products from 70 of the most popular protein powder brands. They then shipped samples of each protein powder to an independent laboratory, where they were analyzed for several heavy metals, along with other potential contaminants. The researchers found that 47 percent of the samples had levels of lead and cadmium that exceeded guidelines set by California’s Proposition 65, a law that requires companies to warn consumers about significant exposures to chemicals that could cause birth defects, cancer, or reproductive issues.


Experts In This Article

  • Gabriel Keith Harris, PhD, Professor, Co-Director of Undergraduate Programs for Food Science at North Carolina State University
  • Leigh A. Frame, PhD, Dr. Leigh Frame is Chief Wellness Officer of George Washington University (GW) Medicine and Director of the Resiliency & Well-being Center. She also serves as Executive Director of the Office of Integrative Medicine and Health and Associate Professor of Clinical Research and Leadership and Physician Assistant Studies. As co-founder and Research Director of the Resiliency & Well-being Center, she has advanced initiatives promoting resilience, whole-person care, and well-being across the GW community and beyond.

While it’s worth noting that Proposition 65 guidelines are significantly lower (aka stricter) than standards set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), more than 20 percent of the powders contained heavy metal levels that were twice as high as Proposition 65 guidance. There has also been no established safe level of lead exposure.

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