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Elevated Lead Levels Found in Some Protein Powders and Shakes

  • Writer: FibonacciMD
    FibonacciMD
  • Dec 29, 2025
  • 3 min read

Updated: Dec 31, 2025

What Recent Testing Reveals About Lead in Protein Powders and Consumer Safety

Culinary Medicine

elevated lead levels found in protein powder shakes

The global market for protein powder supplements is currently estimated at $30 billion a year.  A balanced diet generally provides enough protein, but protein supplements have become very popular, promoted for muscle health.  


Consumer Reports, in October 2025, analyzed 23 powders and ready-to-drink shakes and found that two-thirds of them contained elevated levels of lead. One contained 16 times what Consumer Reports considered the safe daily limit for lead ingestion, while others were considered safe for daily consumption.  The lead levels in plant-based products averaged nine times higher than those made with dairy proteins like whey, and twice as high as those made with beef proteins.


All the plant-based products tested were made from pea protein, which is used because of its flavor and low allergenic potential.  Consumer Reports did not investigate where the contamination occurred, whether it was in the peas or during the manufacturing process.  Lead occurs naturally in water and soil, but it can also be introduced through industrial contamination.


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Consumer Reports stated that many of the protein powders were safe to consume occasionally, and even those with the highest lead levels were far below the concentration needed to cause immediate harm.  However, chronic use of some of them may lead to an unhealthy increase in lead levels.


Estimates from the FDA, along with other data, suggest that dietary lead intake for the average American adult ranges from 1.7 to 5.3 micrograms per day.  The protein powder tested by Consumer Reports with the highest lead content contained 7.7 micrograms of lead per serving, adding to the baseline lead intake. 

Three products also exceeded Consumer Reports’ level of concern for cadmium and inorganic arsenic, both of which have been classified as possible carcinogens.


Chronic lead toxicity can cause a myriad of symptoms, including:

  • Nausea and abdominal pain

  • Anemia

  • Numbness and tingling in the extremities, memory loss, slurred speech, headache

  • Mood disorders and insomnia 

  • Decreased sperm count and increased risk of miscarriage   

  • High blood pressure 

  • Kidney impairment 

  • In children: permanent intellectual disabilities and behavioral disorders


While no amount of lead ingestion is truly considered safe, a potential criticism of the report is that the maximum safe level of lead exposure used by Consumer Reports was based on the California standard of a maximum lead ingestion of 0.5 micrograms per day to prevent reproductive toxicity.  This is much lower than current federal guidelines, and the FDA has issued “interim reference levels” for a maximum lead ingestion of 2.2 micrograms for infants and 8.8 micrograms per day for pregnant women.  The California standard for maximum daily lead ingestion, which poses no significant risk of developing cancer, is 15 micrograms per day. 


If you use protein supplements, it is recommended that you read the Consumer Reports article to determine whether the product you are using is considered safe.  There are also third-party testers that award certification seals, allowing consumers to check which food and supplement products were tested and which problematic substances were tested for.  Some of those include: 



Protein powders can be convenient, but informed choices matter. Reviewing test results and choosing third-party–certified products can help reduce exposure to lead in protein powders.


You may find these other articles interesting about toxins in the food and environment:


References

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