The stir that Consumer Reports\u2019 article caused has brought the protein obsession back into the spotlight, begging the question of what place the supplements have in people\u2019s daily nutrition, how safe they are and what this all means for protein companies.<\/p>\n
Athletech News spoke with scientific experts and protein brands themselves to help answer\u00a0these questions and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What They Found<\/p>\n
Over two-thirds of the products analyzed in the report contained more lead in a single serving than Consumer Reports\u2019 food safety experts claim is safe to consume in a day (the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms per day), with some exceeding it by over 10 times. Plant-based protein powders were the biggest culprits.<\/p>\n
Additionally, three products exceeded the level of concern for two other toxic heavy metals, cadmium and inorganic arsenic.<\/p>\n
The report\u00a0advised against daily use of protein powders in general due to potential heavy metal exposure and stated that the supplements aren\u2019t necessary to hit protein goals anyway.<\/p>\n
The two topping the list \u2014 which Consumer Reports suggested avoiding entirely \u2014 were Naked Nutrition\u2019s Mass Gainer powder at 7.7 micrograms of lead per serving, claimed to be roughly 1,570% of the level of concern for the heavy metal, and Huel\u2019s Black Edition powder, with 6.3 micrograms of lead, or about 1,290% of the Prop 65 daily lead limit.<\/p>\n
Two other powders contained between 400 and 600% of Consumer Reports\u2019 level of concern: Garden of Life\u2019s Sport Organic Plant-Based Protein and Momentous\u2019 100% Plant Protein. Those should be limited to once per week, the report advised.<\/p>\n
Other powders tested included: MuscleMeds, Optimum Nutrition, Jocko Fuel, Vega, Quest, Equip, Plant Fusion, Ensure, Muscle Milk, KOS, Owyn, Transparent Labs, BSN, Dymatize and Muscle Tech.<\/p>\n
Experts Contextualize the Report<\/p>\n
Lead exposure is associated with a whole host of adverse health effects, impacting brain and reproductive health in adults, and causing severe developmental issues for children who are more vulnerable to higher absorption rates.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no safe level of lead; we want to minimize exposure as much as possible,\u201d senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group (EWG), Tasha Stoiber, told Athletech News.<\/p>\n
But how do heavy metals like lead get into protein powders to begin with?<\/p>\n
\u201cHeavy metals like lead are naturally present in our environment like in our soil and water,\u201d food scientist Abbey Thiel<\/a> told ATN. \u201cPlants absorb small amounts of these elements as they grow, so any ingredient that comes from plants can contain trace levels.\u201d<\/p>\n Sourcing is key, Thiel explained, as where the plant is grown can vary its lead exposure quite a bit due to historical industrial agriculture and pesticide practice or higher rates of naturally occurring metals.<\/p>\n As for the safety of these products, Thiel acknowledged that it isn\u2019t as simple as looking at the numbers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe levels found in many protein powders are usually quite small, often measured in micrograms. That\u2019s a millionth of a gram,\u201d she explained. \u201cSo one serving isn\u2019t going to cause acute lead poisoning.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n While Thiel cautioned that using the conservative Prop 65 benchmark makes the report more shocking, that doesn\u2019t mean the awareness it raised wasn\u2019t valid.<\/p>\n \u201cThe concern is really about chronic exposure,\u201d Thiel added. \u201cIf you\u2019re drinking a shake every day for months or years, those small amounts can add up.\u201d<\/p>\n Stoiber also pointed out that frequent protein supplementation in and of itself isn\u2019t necessary, and could come with health concerns outside of lead exposure.<\/p>\n \u201cMost people get enough protein from their diet; you don\u2019t need to take in extra protein,\u201d she said, excluding cases like older adults who struggle to meet protein needs with declining appetites, and professional athletes.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are missing out on the additional nutrients if you\u2019re not eating foods to get your protein,\u201d Stoiber added. Moreover, a protein-dominant diet can often come with the detrimental tradeoff of not eating enough fiber as your body fills up on protein, she added.<\/p>\n How Brands Have Responded<\/p>\n One of the brands included in the report was fast-growing supplement maker Momentous<\/a>, whose chocolate plant protein tested on the higher end and was recommended to limit once per week.\u00a0<\/p>\n The company quickly responded, claiming that the specific product tested was an older version of its current plant protein, which is of higher quality.<\/p>\n Momentous chose to reach out to consumers immediately after the Consumer Reports findings were published, stating that each batch of its protein goes through three layers of testing and verification through Light Labs testing, whose results are available publicly.\u00a0<\/p>\n Momentous CEO, Jeff Byers, said consumer response to the company\u2019s message was \u201coverwhelmingly positive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur protein sales for both plant and whey increased pretty significantly,\u201d Byers told ATN.<\/p>\n Many who had unsubscribed to Momentous<\/a> quickly resubscribed following the response, Byers revealed, while others just opted to switch from plant to whey protein, which has lower concentrations of heavy metals due to less direct soil exposure.<\/p>\n In the company\u2019s response, Byers emphasized the importance of putting the numbers in context. That\u2019s why Momentous added data placing its product up against other foods that also contain trace amounts of lead from being grown in soil, including:<\/p>\n Tomato (one medium, ~150g): ~3.2 mcg.<\/p>\n Apple (one medium, ~180g): ~1.0 mcg.<\/p>\n Strawberries (8\u201310 pieces, ~100g): ~1.0\u20131.5 mcg.<\/p>\n Momentous Plant Protein (one serving): 0.29\u20130.7 mcg.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s so much noise, but also creating noise and fear without context,\u201d Byers remarked.\u00a0<\/p>\n See Also<\/p>\n \u201cI think what\u2019s really important is that we \u2026 create the transparency to allow people to understand what is in the products they take,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s not a tomato that is going to kill you, or a scoop of whey protein or plant protein. It\u2019s the cumulative effect of the lifestyle choices that you\u2019re making as a whole that matter.\u201d<\/p>\n While Thiel agrees that putting it in context matters, the comparisons between protein powder and fruits and vegetables can be misleading, she argues.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you eat fruits, vegetables, or grains, you\u2019re consuming them in their natural form, with a lot of water and fiber diluting everything else,\u201d she explained. \u201cProtein powders are made by taking a plant like peas or rice and processing it down to isolate the protein. That concentration process removes water and many other components, which means any heavy metals that were present become more concentrated in the final powder.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow the ingredient is processed makes a big difference in the final levels,\u201d Thiel added. \u201cIt\u2019s similar to how dried fruit has more sugar per gram than fresh fruit because the water is removed.\u201d<\/p>\n Huel, another brand included in the report whose Black Edition Chocolate powder topped the report with some of the highest lead concentrations, addressed the findings with a blog post<\/a> explaining that the quantities are compliant with FDA and EU standards.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Ritual, a supplement brand not included in the report, prides itself on its testing transparency and sourcing quality as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dr. Nima Alamdari, Ritual\u2019s chief scientific and clinical officer, said that being Clean Label Project Certified<\/a> and having a Certificate of Traceability \u2014 both of which Ritual<\/a> has \u2014 can provide consumers some security when scrutinizing which protein supplements to buy.<\/p>\n \u201cConsumers should be concerned about contamination in supplements,\u201d Alamdari told ATN. While he said that some contamination is unavoidable, there are better options than others.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re in a period where words don\u2019t matter anymore,\u201d he added. \u201cIt comes down to data.\u201d<\/p>\n How Cautious Should Consumers Be?<\/p>\n Alamdari advises looking for products with that Clean Label Project certification, which follows the Prop. 65 guidelines. But that doesn\u2019t mean you need to throw out your protein powder.<\/p>\n \u201cYou just don\u2019t want to have one of the higher brands every day or twice a day,\u201d EWG scientist Stoiber said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also impossible to entirely avoid heavy metals, unfortunately, Thiel said, because they are prominently a part of our environment.<\/p>\n \u201cThe goal is to minimize exposure from multiple sources,\u201d she explained. \u201cThe biggest concern comes from products that are both concentrated and consumed daily because that can lead to a higher total intake over time.\u201d<\/p>\n For anyone hoping to keep up their protein powder consumption, Thiel and Stoiber advise keeping it a minimal part of your diet, which should include a spectrum of foods, especially plants.<\/p>\n \u201cI always say eat a diverse and highly varied diet,\u201d Thiel said. \u201cNot only will you consume a high variation of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, you will also avoid eating high levels of a contaminant like lead.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After an explosive report cast several supplement brands in a negative light, brands responded to defend their products,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":298113,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[49362,97,155382,269,5119,1728,155383,12825],"class_list":{"0":"post-298112","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-atn-pro","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-momentous","11":"tag-nutrition","12":"tag-protein","13":"tag-research","14":"tag-supplement-companies","15":"tag-zzz-a"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298112\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/298113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Momentous](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jeff-1-1024x586.webp.webp\")
Jeff Byers, a former NFL player, co-founded human performance supplement brand Momentous (credit: Momentous)<\/p>\n![\"active](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/shutterstock_2166835161-180x180.webp.webp\")
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