A new report finds high levels of lead in some protein powders. A pharmacologist explains the data

This article was originally published on The Conversation.

Sales of ready-to-drink and powdered proteins have exploded, reaching more than $32 billion worldwide between 2024 and 2025. Increasingly, consumers are using these protein sources on a daily basis.

A new study from Consumer Reports, released October 14, 2025, claims that some of these protein products contain dangerously high levels of lead, as well as other heavy metals such as cadmium and arsenic. At high levels, these substances pose serious and well-documented health risks.

WATCH: Protein is everywhere amid a new cultural obsession. How much do we really need?

I am a clinical pharmacologist who has evaluated the heavy metal content of baby foods, calcium supplements and kratom products. Lead and other heavy metals occur naturally in soil and water, so reaching zero exposure would be impossible. Additionally, the level of lead exposure that Consumer Reports deems safe is significantly lower than those set by the Food and Drug Administration.

However, regardless of the safety threshold, the study shows that a few products deliver a relatively high dose of heavy metals per serving.

How Consumer Reports did the study

The new study evaluated 23 protein powder and ready-to-drink products from popular brands by sending three samples of each product to an independent commercial laboratory.

Consumer Reports considered anything above 0.5 micrograms per day from a single source to be above the maximum recommended lead levels. This figure comes from the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, which established maximum recommended levels for various substances that can cause cancer or harm a fetus.

It is significantly more conservative than the lead exposure safety standard used by the FDA for drugs and supplements. The gap is due to Consumer Reports’ ambitious goals of very low exposure compared to the FDA’s more realistic but achievable requirements.

WATCH: Clean? Supplements? How to Tell Fact from Fiction with Gut Health Tips

According to the FDA, the limit for the amount of lead a person should consume from a single dietary supplement is 5 micrograms per day. This number is 10 times the Consumer Report limit.

The FDA has another standard for the total daily amount of lead a person can safely consume from foods, drugs, and supplements combined. This figure, called the Interim Reference Level, or IRL, for lead, is based on blood lead concentrations associated with negative health outcomes in different populations.

For people who may become pregnant, this level is 8.8 micrograms per day and for children, 2.2 micrograms per day. For everyone else, it’s 12.5 micrograms per day. Each food, drug, and dietary supplement containing lead contributes to total daily exposure, which should be less than this amount.

To assess lead levels, Consumer Reports used a more conservative safety standard than the FDA uses for drugs and supplements. Photo by lakshmiprasad S/iStock via Getty Images Plus.

What the report found

The nonprofit advocacy group found that 16 of 23 products tested exceeded 0.5 micrograms, the level of lead in a standard serving that the organization considers safe.

Four of the 23 products exceeded 2.2 micrograms, the FDA’s threshold for the total daily amount of lead children should consume. Two products contained 72% and 88%, respectively, of the total daily amount of lead that the FDA considers safe for pregnant women.

Additionally, Consumer Reports found that two of the 23 products contained more cadmium than what it considers a safe amount per serving, and one of them contained more arsenic than recommended.

WATCH: Is it possible to make “meat” from plant proteins?

The organization’s safe threshold for cadmium is 4.1 micrograms per day and for arsenic it is 7 micrograms per day. These numbers match fairly closely the FDA’s recommended exposure limit for cadmium and arsenic from a single product. For cadmium, the FDA limit is set at 5 micrograms per day for a given dietary supplement and 15 micrograms per day for arsenic.

The study found that the protein source was key: plant-based protein products contained nine times more lead than dairy proteins like whey, and twice as much as beef proteins.

Where do these heavy metals come from?

Lead and other heavy metals are present in large quantities in volcanic rock, which comes from molten rock called magma beneath the Earth’s surface. When volcanic rock is eroded, heavy metals contaminate the soil and local water supplies. Additionally, some cultivated plants are particularly effective at extracting heavy metals from the soil and placing them in plant parts ingested by consumers.

Fossil fuels, which come from deep within the Earth, also release heavy metals into the air when burned. These substances are then deposited in soil and water. Finally, some fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides also contain heavy metals which can further contaminate local soil and water.

High levels of heavy metals have been found in plant-based protein powder, spices like cinnamon, dark chocolate, root vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes, rice, legumes like pea pods, and many herbal supplements.

Root vegetables like sweet potatoes can absorb heavy metals from the soil. Photo via Virginia State Parks, CC BY.

Should consumers be concerned? And what can they do?

Occasionally exceeding recommended daily doses of heavy metals is unlikely to cause serious health problems.

However, repeated and significant exposure to heavy metals can be harmful. When they accumulate in the blood, these substances can delay or impair mental functioning, damage nerves, soften bones, and increase blood pressure, increasing the risk of stroke and heart attack. Heavy metals can also increase the risk of developing cancer.

It is important to note that all products reported by Consumer Reports have lead levels significantly below the maximum daily exposure levels established by the FDA.

LEARN MORE: This lab uses coffee grounds to extract lead and other toxins from water

Consumers can limit their exposure by choosing protein sources of dairy or animal origin, as they generally appear to be less contaminated with heavy metals than those of plant origin. However, some plant-based protein products studied did not contain high levels of heavy metals. Levels of heavy metals vary widely in the environment, so the Consumer Reports study results show a snapshot in time. They may not always be accurate from batch to batch if, for example, a manufacturer changes the source of its raw materials.

For protein products that are particularly high in heavy metals, their more sporadic rather than daily use may reduce exposure. Studies suggest that organic, plant-based products generally contain fewer heavy metals than those produced by traditional agriculture.

Finally, the Consumer Reports study measured heavy metals in a single serving of protein products. It is therefore useful to understand what constitutes a serving for specific products and to avoid greatly increasing daily consumption.

Overall, the wide variation in lead levels between different protein powders and ready-made protein products highlights the need for manufacturers to tighten product testing and good manufacturing practices.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.