Beware of Protein Powder/Shakes

Henry said:
Worse.

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Go by the actual numbers, consult ANY expert other than the unnamed ones chosen by this company who is trying to go viral (CR), and you will see that the actual risk is extremely low. Even the worst offenders are not triggering any concern among anyone other than the company trying to raise their own profile through scaremongering.

Sadly, as you can see, it is working.
 
Most protein powders taste like ass. Optimum is just ok, the best tasting by far is Progenex. Recently I have switched to amino acids instead and am happy with the results.
 
AxeManDan said:
Most protein powders taste like ass. Optimum is just ok, the best tasting by far is Progenex. Recently I have switched to amino acids instead and am happy with the results.
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Most experts and researchers will say individual aminos are basically always inferior to a complete source (such as whey).
 
It's in your toothpaste too -

https://tamararubin.com/2025/01/toothpaste-chart/

Facebook-toothpaste-chart-2-768x768.png
 
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wesleyamltd said:
But I do think your points would have more strength if you kept them specific to protein supplements containing heavy metals and how they impact the consumer. Protein supplements have been widely studied and are considered safe, however, this is in regard to unadulterated complete protein supplements. In order to maintain objectivity it is important to consider protein supplement companies based on their own merit.
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These are fair points as well.

Cheers.
 
Wolfenstein98k said:
Most experts and researchers will say individual aminos are basically always inferior to a complete source (such as whey).
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Yes. It is necessary to have a complete profile of all 20 amino acids for gene expression without it it’s like trying to complete a puzzle with missing pieces, it can’t be done. The caveat is that if you supplement amino acids you can outsource your protein to include non-heme or incomplete proteins. This is a great strategy for those who subscribe to vegan or vegetarian lifestyles.
 
We just returned 3 boxes of the Orgain Protein Powder today. That stuff isn't cheap either at $30 a box. You try and eat healthy and find stuff like this, sheesh.
 
Dave Merrill said:
Partial counterpoint from npr:
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/16/nx-s1-5576294/protein-powder-lead-consumer-reports
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This is what I’ve been finding out in my own research about the specific levels of lead found in protein powders based on Consumer Reports.

To add to this, there is no safe level of consumption of lead. Lead has a half-life of a month in your system and can remain in your bone marrow for years.

The reason trace amounts of lead are found in the protein powder is due to the soil, water pipes and other materials that cross contaminate in the manufacturing process. This is important to realize because anything that comes from the ground such as root vegetables can have trace amounts of lead. Regarding lead contaminated soil, is due to farm equipment run by unleaded gas. What this means to us as a consumer is that even though there are minimal amounts of lead in certain protein powders, they should be avoided if you consume them on a regular basis because lead toxicity is accumulative.
 
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ak49climber said:
Well, the body can only absorb 18-20 grams of protein per meal, so I don't think you need to supplement at all. Especially if you are on a typical American diet heavy in animal products. These supplement companies are unregulated and have somehow convinced people they need more protein than their bodies can actually use.
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Those old numbers have been disproven.
 
Wolfenstein98k said:
FYI, the results in that recent viral post are based on a preposterous assumption of safety (basically, they took the lowest known harmful dose of lead, and then divided it by 1000, and called that the "safe limit". The 1000x is entirely arbitrary).

The consensus is that whey-based powders are generally fine (but always best to stick with trusted brands, ON is a good one except their additives may be a concern for some), and that vegan powders should be used sparingly because they do have much higher lead levels. It is sadly unavoidably when concentrating the protein in things like peas and rice, which pick up lead from the soil.

For vegans, consider using tofu instead.
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Gil also comments on the 1/1000 ratio that CR chose to sound the alarm on. He also mentions other official cut offs.

I don't like ON. Their black creatine containers stink really bad. Black plastic is often made with reused materials where some electronics components may be in the mix. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid black plastic kitchen utensils.
 
Yeah leaded gas was and is a massive ecological disaster that will stick with us for centuries. Lead based pigments in paint were used a ton for many years as well. Both are still used today but way less frequently.
 
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