Consumer Reports Claims Some Protein Drinks Laden with Lead
Consumers Union (CU) has issued the results of its investigation into protein drinks, concluding that many products are at best superfluous and at worst unsafe. Published in the July 2010 edition of Consumer Reports, the findings allegedly support the watchdog’s position that Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversight under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act “is inadequate to ensure that protein drinks and other dietary supplements are consistently low in heavy metals and other contaminants.”
CU apparently conducted outside laboratory tests on 15 protein powders and drinks purchased in the New York-metro area, in addition to reviewing government documents and interviewing health experts and consumers. According to CU, “All drinks in our tests had at least one sample containing one or more of the following contaminants: arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.” In three cases, consumers who drank more than three servings per day purportedly risked exceeding the U.S. Pharmacopeia’s exposure limits for arsenic, cadmium or lead. As Consumer Reports noted, “The amount of lead in a single daily serving of eight of the protein supplements we tested would require that the products carry a warning in California.”
Further suggesting that multiple toxins could have “synergistic” health effects, the report cites one expert who registered concern about the “pregnant women, children and young adults” targeted by some companies’ marketing claims. “For most people, protein drinks are not the only possible source of exposure to heavy metals, but they are an easily avoidable one, since most people can meet their protein needs, help minimize exposure to contaminants, and save money by choosing the right foods,” opines CU, which calls on Congress to adopt legislation geared toward improving dietary supplement regulation.
