Also, further contamination can occur during the processing and manufacturing of cocoa products. How many heavy metals end up in a cocoa bean depends on the geographic region, soil acidity and other factors.
Cadmium is naturally found in soil and taken up by many plants, including cocoa plants. Cocoa powders are found to contain toxic metals because of soil quality. This is especially true in the United States, where there may be a higher incidence of heavy metals in the soil of some regions.”Ĭhocolate-flavoured protein powder is always going to have higher lead and cadmium counts than vanilla because of the cocoa powder. Sean Callan, the director of operations and quality at Ellipse Analytics, who performed the test, stated: “This could be due to the locations where the protein powder manufacturers’ plant ingredients are sourced having contaminated soil. Vegan protein powders had higher levels of heavy metals than non-vegan variants. Shockingly, the worst offenders from this study were plant-based protein powders. Studies from the Clean Label Project tested 134 top-selling protein powders and how clean they truly were.
So how can so many protein powders contain all these contaminants? The Clean Label Project (a non-profit organisation that brings transparency to food and consumer product labelling) states it’s the quality of the soil. Not to mention Bisphenol A (BPA ), a toxin found in some plastic containers depending on that brand’s packaging. The biggest four are arsenic, lead, mercury and cadmium, with lead having the highest levels of metal in them. The biggest concern of all protein powders, whether they are whey or plant-based, are heavy metals. But even soy and pea-based protein powders (the latter being the more popular choice because of its good amino acid profile) can be compromised. There are many different brands of plant-based protein powders out there, now more than ever. Although we have many sources of protein, such as legumes, grains, vegetables and nuts, we also rely on protein shakes. People are becoming more educated in different diseases, quality animal sources, and putting value on the importance of plants. Vegans strive to eat plant-based because of the many health benefits that come along with it. Protein powders are an excellent way of meeting vegan protein needs, but many contain fillers and heavy metals that are known carcinogens.
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