'Toxic’ protein powder warning issued to millions as investigation is launched
Harvard scientists have issued a serious warning about a dietary supplement used by millions worldwide: protein powder.
Gym bros across the world swear by protein powder, using it as a simpler way to increase their daily protein intake and as a result increase their muscle growth.
Going to the gym and staying active has its own benefits in terms of your mental health and simply setting a good routine, but if your sole goal is to build muscle then you need between 1.2 and 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
In other words, if you want to see the maximum benefits at the gym you need to make sure your protein intake is high enough and protein powder is a very easy and concentrated way of doing that.
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As with any health craze however, protein powder can be dangerous if you don’t do your research on it – with an investigation being launched after Harvard issued a report stating that it may contain ‘toxic chemicals’.
Harvard University have previously released multiple warnings about protein powder, with their latest coming earlier this year.
This warned that protein powder ‘may contain added sugar, calories, or even toxic chemicals.’
The blogpost from Mallika Marshall, MD, a physician and Harvard medical instructor, states that in the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ‘leaves it up to manufacturers to evaluate the safety and labelling' of dietary supplements.
In other words, we don’t actually have a scooby if what they say is in the product is actually what’s in the product.
In addition to this, milk-based protein powders can cause digestive distress if you have a dairy allergy or issues digesting lactose, and it can in some cases have massive variations in how much sugar is in each scoop.
Most importantly however is the fact that, at the moment, we don’t know the long-term effects of protein powder intake and there has been a study which found ‘toxins’ in various protein powders.
Clean Label Project, a non-profit dedicated to ‘setting a new standard for food and consumer product quality and safety’ released the report last year, which had shocking findings.
When screening 134 products for 130 types of toxins they found that many protein powders contained things you would not want contaminating them.
This included heavy metals, bisphenol-A (which is used to make plastic), pesticides, and a number of other toxins with links to various serious health conditions. In some cases, they were present in significant quantities, making the powder very unsafe.
Though it was not found in all protein powders tested, this has sparked a review by the Attorney General of Texas Ken Paxton.
Paxton has announced that, following the Clean Label Project research, he would be launching an investigation into powder manufacturers to ‘protect Texans from heavy metals found in popular protein powders’.
Paxton said: “Protein is a vital macronutrient for human health, and Texans deserve clean protein powders without having to worry whether the products contain heavy metals or other harmful chemicals.
“Far too many corporations have snuck harmful ingredients in their products, and I am committed to doing everything I can to help Make America Healthy Again.”
What is protein powder and how can heavy metals get into it?
There are several different types of protein powder. It can be made from whey (the liquid left over after cheese production), casein (a protein found in milk), egg, soy, peas or rice.
Many of the powders also have additional ingredients to make them more palatable, such as sugar, artificial flavourings, vitamins, minerals and thickeners.
Heavy metals - such as lead, cadmium and arsenic - occur naturally in the Earth's crust. Plants can absorb them, and animals can absorb them by eating the plants. This is how they get into protein powders.
Obviously, this is scary to hear, but several studies - such as this one from 2020 - have found the concentrations of heavy metals in protein powders are generally too low to pose a health risk.
Michael Slavin