Is your protein powder toxic? Report finds 47% exceed safety limits

Avery Newmark, Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Feb 18, 2025

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Hitting your daily protein goals can be challenging, especially if you exercise regularly.

Most female adults need approximately 46 grams of protein per day, while men need about 56 grams, according to Harvard Health. While you can obtain protein from whole foods, including Greek yogurt, chicken or beans, many people turn to protein powders for convenience.

However, that protein shake you’re enjoying post-workout or as a midday snack might be doing more harm than good. A new report from the Clean Label Project found unsettling levels of heavy metals in many popular protein powders, raising concerns for health-conscious consumers.

The study, which tested more than 150 products from 70 leading brands, found 47% of protein powders exceeded California’s safety thresholds for toxic metals.

“The food industry owes their customers an open, honest, and transparent view of how clean their ingredients are,” Jaclyn Bowen, executive director of the Clean Label Project, said in the report. “Consumers are purchasing supplement and protein products for health and performance, they expect the products to be clean.”

Perhaps most surprisingly, organic and plant-based options — often perceived as cleaner alternatives — contained three times more lead than whey-based products, while chocolate-flavored powders have four times more lead and 110 times more cadmium than vanilla-flavored options. Cadmium, a heavy metal, can pose serious health risks, including cancer, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

It’s not all bad news for protein powder connoisseurs. Several brands earned Clean Label Project certification for minimal contamination levels, including Puori, WICKED Protein and Ritual.

And for the safest bet? Stick to whey or collagen-based powders in vanilla flavors, which consistently showed lower heavy metal levels.