You keep track of everything you eat. You miss out on dessert runs with your friends because you don’t want to consume any sugar. You consider fruits as an alternative but are then told that it can spike up your blood sugar too. You refrain from refined carbs because you read somewhere that it can lead to diabetes.
In an attempt to prevent any future heart problems, you eliminate salt from your diet completely and start purchasing raw nuts only to figure out that even your beloved brie cheese contains salt. You finally resort to protein powders because your favorite fitness Instagrammer with the perfect body always consumes it – so it has to be good for you, right?
Not quite.
Protein powders don’t require U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval before entering the market. In 2018 study by Clean Label Project, a nonprofit organization aiming to educate the consumers about market products, 134 protein powder products on Amazon’s best-seller list were selected for analysis.
They discovered that lead was detected in two thirds and Bisphenol A (BPA) was detected in more than half of the marketed protein powders. Of all the protein powders tested, they found that plant-based products contained the most industrial and environmental contaminants compared with egg and whey-based products.
Lead exposure may lead to feelings of depression and may be involved with memory loss. Research has previously linked BPA to heart disease, Type-II diabetes, and infertility disorders. There is further evidence suggesting that when mothers consume BPA, the fetuses can develop various cancers (breast and prostate) and asthma, depending on the stage of the developing embryo.
Perhaps indulging in protein powder may negate all of the health-conscious acts (i.e. no wine and cheese night and no In-n-Out) you engage in every day.
So, are all protein powders bad for you?
No. There have not been enough studies to investigate all protein powders in the market, and for many vegetarians, protein powder is the most convenient way to make sure protein is proportionately being consumed. In fact, Clean Label Project has rated metal toxicity, contamination, and nutritional value of the protein powders that were analyzed in the study that may be useful.
Although if you ask me, I’d probably just stick to almonds or chicken.