Michigan Warning: High Lead Levels Found in Popular Protein Powders

If you’re big on protein shakes, you might want to take a closer look at what’s inside that tub. This is a little scary for fitness fanatics who drink them every day, thinking they’re doing something healthy.

A new Consumer Reports investigation found that a bunch of popular protein powders and shakes are loaded with toxic heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and arsenic. So instead of helping your body, you’re basically poisoning it. Great.

According to WZZM, they tested 23 different brands, and get this, more than two-thirds had more lead in a single serving than what food safety experts say is safe for an entire day. Some were over 10 times the limit. I swear nothing’s safe anymore.

Protein Powders With the Highest Lead Levels

The worst offenders were mostly plant-based options. Naked Nutrition’s Vegan Mass Gainer and Huel’s Black Edition had ridiculous lead levels, up to 1,600% of the daily limit. Garden of Life’s Sport Organic and Momentous Plant Protein were also flagged as risky and should probably only be used occasionally. Even MuscleMeds’ Carnivor Mass, a beef-based powder, came in at more than double the limit.

While the FDA doesn’t currently enforce strict limits for heavy metals in protein powder, experts say this kind of long-term exposure can lead to serious problems, including kidney damage, high blood pressure, and more.

This is one of the reasons I prefer to get my protein from meat and eggs. I mean, you just don’t know what’s in those protein powders, especially since they’re not strongly regulated.