My friend recently sent me a Consumer Reports article about lead contamination in protein powders, and the findings were sobering. Two-thirds of the products tested exceeded safe daily limits of lead in just a single serving. The plant-based powders were the worst offenders—nearly nine times higher than whey-based supplements—but even whey wasn’t innocent: more than half the samples tested above the safety threshold. According to CR’s senior chemist, no one should be using these products daily.
I’m almost sixty-four and have relied on whey protein powder for decades. But do I really need that extra fifty grams a day from two scoops? Could I maintain my strength and well-being on 120 grams of protein from food instead of pushing it closer to 170 grams with supplements?
It seems the answer is yes. The danger of ingesting lead outweighs the marginal benefit of more protein, so I’m setting the powder aside for now. I’m not a purity zealot, but when Consumer Reports finds higher levels of lead now than in past studies, it’s clear the supplement industry can’t produce a truly low-risk product—and that’s reason enough to bow out of the shake game.
Another reason is a 1978 conversation I had with Mr. Universe Mike Mentzer backstage at a bodybuilding exhibition in the San Francisco Bay Area. I asked him how much protein a day he ate, and he answered about 100 grams a day. “Any more will make you fat,” he said. Granted, Arnold was eating 250 grams as were most bodybuilders at the time. But if Mentzer could thrive on 100 grams, then that’s good enough for me.
Cinemorphosis 
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