Protein Powder and the Hyperbolic Media

Hey CrossFit NorthGate Community,

I recently saw this story on NBC nightly news:Consumer Reports: Some popular protein powders and shakes contain high levels of lead

As is typical - the story was presented in an overly hysterical fashion and has rightly stirred up quite a bit of noise online. I encourage you not to panic when reports like this emerge, rather to understand what the data really says, what it doesn't, and most importantly: how does it impact you?

The story is based on an article by Consumer Reports (CR), which tested 23 popular protein powders and shakes and found that over two-thirds of them contained more lead in a single serving than what CR considers its “level of concern” for daily lead exposure: 0.5 micrograms per day.Consumer Reports+2Consumer Reports Advocacy+2According to their report, two products (both plant-based) contained very high levels:

-One serving of Naked Nutrition “Vegan Mass Gainer” had ~7.7 µg lead (≈1,570% of CR’s 0.5 µg threshold).Consumer Reports+1
-One serving of Huel “Black Edition” had ~6.3 µg lead (~1,290% of the threshold).Consumer Reports+1

Their testing found that plant-based powders averaged nine times more lead than dairy-based powders.Consumer Reports+2CBS News+2

What the NBC article doesn’t emphasize (but matters)

Here’s where the nuance comes in (and why I wanted to give you my take): the NBC coverage presents this as a generic “protein powders contain high lead” warning, which sounds alarming (and, in a way, is). But the CR data show two key refinements that get glossed over:

-The contamination skew is heavily concentrated in plant-based protein powders (especially those using pea, rice, etc.) rather than all powders equally.

-CR found that plant-based powders were the worst offenders, whereas dairy/whey-based products were much lower.

CR’s “level of concern” (0.5 µg/day) is very conservative — stricter than many regulatory thresholds. The industry critics point out that exceeding CR’s limit isn’t the same as exceeding a government safety limit.

In other words: the story should be read as “some protein powders - especially plant-based ones - contain elevated lead levels,” not “protein powders are dangerous.”

Plants absorb minerals (and contaminants) from the soil, water, and air. If the soil has lead (or cadmium, arsenic, etc.), plants can uptake these and it carries through into processed ingredients. CR says this helps explain why plant-based powders had more lead.

What does this really mean for you?

As you probably know (or definitely know if you’ve been in one of my nutrition groups) I strongly believe that eating whole, single-ingredient foods as the brunt of our diet is the foundation of good nutrition. It’s easy to get caught up in diet fads and trends and lose sight of the big picture. As I’m fond of pointing out: there are healthy vegans out there, and there are healthy carnivores. And while they bicker all day about whether animal protein causes cancer or whether the defensive compounds in vegetables are poisoning you - in both cases they’ve missed the forest though the trees.

What both of these groups should acknowledge is what they have in common - they have cut out processed foods. And while they may have been convinced that it's the absence of meat, or the absence of veggies that are making them feel awesome - it's the absence of processed food that makes the biggest difference. So where does a protein supplement come in? This is where this article gets crazy to me…

If you read further - the entire second half of the report is about how protein crazed health gurus have it all wrong. They quote a phd researcher who advocates for the RDA requirements - what a healthy adult needs (meaning less than that will cause problems). They go on to say that practicing doctors and health advocates like Peter Attia and Gabrielle Lyon (you may remember them from last month's news letter) are off base and that the data doesn’t support their argument that people will thrive with more than the government’s RDA.

I can tell you from personal experience, the experience of most trainers like me, the entire CrossFit, body building, powerlifting, strongman and professional athletic community, a LOT of researchers and an overwhelming amount of anecdotal bro-science says that prioritizing protein is a GOOD thing. This doesn’t mean that you should get as much as possible. But that does mean that you should work to understand how much protein you need to look, feel and perform the way you want to. Hint: it’s more than the USDA RDA.

So…protein powder. Protein powder is a supplement. That means that it supplements our diet. If getting enough protein is a struggle for you (could be for many reasons), this supplement might really help you realize your goals. Also, many people prefer the option of drinking protein post-workout because it can be hard to stomach eating a big meal directly after exercise and there are some great benefits to getting your nutrition quickly post-workout, so protein powder might give you a solid advantage.

In the end, while single ingredient foods should be the foundation of our nutrition, there are many ways that protein powder could be a great addition to a healthy diet.

Specifically addressing the Ascent Native Fuel that we sell at the gym - they are well below the lead threshold established by the state of CA that would trigger aProp 65 warning. I reached out to Ascent asking for the results of their 3rd party testing and this is the response they sent:

We understand the importance of transparency, and we are committed to upholding the highest standards in quality and safety. Ascent adheres to all applicable laws and regulations concerning product safety and disclosure. This includes a California law commonly known as Prop 65, which is widely recognized as the strictest law in the country regarding warnings for potential exposure to toxic substances, including heavy metals. Although we do not publicly disclose our testing results, I can assure you that our commitment to quality extends to rigorous testing for various contaminants, including the presence of arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, and other heavy metals. Our dedication to safety is a top priority, and any findings that may impact the safety of our product would be addressed promptly and in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.

To conclude - I hope that this puts you at ease if you happened to see that news report and are concerned because you use protein powder. Unfortunately, news organizations need views and attention to generate revenue. In this day and age creating fear seems to be the best way to do that. So when it comes to fitness, nutrition and ultimately health, make sure you take a minute to do a bit of digging before you succumb to the fear mongering and please feel free to reach out if you want to talk about something that you’ve seen that looks concerning!

Now go get some protein :)

Coach Parker