Heavy Metals in Powdered Proteins & Brand Transparency - Embodied Wellness Radio | Episode 16

EPISODE 16 – Protein & Heavy Metals Review | By Embodied Wellness Co

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  Last week I spoke about heavy metals, what they are, how you get them in your body, ways to remove them, and much more.  If you haven’t already listened to that episode, go give it a listen, as it segways perfectly into today’s episode which is a review and general consumer report on plant based protein, whey protein & collagen protein powders.

To give you a bit of background on this project, my report on proteins was motivated by Dr. Christian Gonzalez, who first turned me onto the Clean Label Investigation report which had the goal of "reducing contamination across all consumer products and to educate the public so that they can make informed decisions"…and that is something that we over at the Embodied Wellness Company can certainly jive with!  They did this by using measured “data” assumingly from contracted and independent labs to test for contaminants, revealing the content of the USA's top 130 selling products on Amazon.   BUT WHAT ABOUT CANADA?  Are we too busy way up north of the border riding our moose and building our igloos to be concerned about the negative implications of heavy metals within our ingestible products?  I THINK NOT.  And my friends...that is just what I spent the past 6 months collecting data on in order to bring you answers today.

Now why haven’t I told you the results of the Clean Label Project “study"? Well, If you know me, you know that I’ve worked as a health coach for many years, and at the same time have always had a toe or foot dipped into also working in the supplement industry, and can tell you that it really is the wild west out there.  Now, that being said…I’m also not calling for a tremendous amount more of regulation on the supplement industry, because full blown regulation might mean the government and big pharma will get their greedy little hands into things you have no business getting their hands in.  But that’s aside from the point, but either way my first-hand experience in the industry has led me to having huge trust issues. 

Here are my issues with the report, which Lori Bestervelt, a Ph.D and the executive vice president of the NSF also shares. (And if you haven’t heard of it, the NSF is the most respected independent certification organizations out there, and you can look for the blue NSF stamp on labels to see if it goes for regular testing and inspections for label claims)

• Number 1 reason I don’t trust it is because they don’t share their testing methodologies! If you don’t share your testing methodologies and how you came to the results you did, how can anyone replicate your study to confirm or deny your findings?  In her article, Lori Bestervelt, Ph.D says; 

“Rather than sharing the data openly and putting the results in context, they created a rating system that obscures the fact they are reporting detectable and measurable levels of heavy metals, not levels that may present a health risk…the mere presence of a detectable contaminant in a product does not mean that product is unsafe. It is misleading to rate products based on detectable levels and imply the ratings speak to the products' safety.”

1. It’s not peer reviewed research.  If it’s a true scientific research project, an essential step is submitting it for a peer review.  That’s like me expecting you to treat this podcast episode like a PubMed study.  I’m not a scientist, and on this topic I’m just a well-informed consumer who does his own research and then hopes you find value in the evidence I can find.
2. Blinded Raw Data.  As I mentioned before, they shared the information in infographics and no raw data. So any claims they made are confusing because they don’t specifically say what company or products.  As a precaution and respect to the companies, I won’t share the exact reports I was given, but if they shared them with me they should also share them with you.  However, I may tell you numbers, and tell you the exact product and company.  No sense hiding that.
3. They had a subjective rating system.  So without showing the data, they created a 5-star rating system for these products that seemingly has no real measurable backing.
4. And lastly, there are no major accrediting bodies that give the Clean Label Project and validity.

All of these issues lead me to believing that the clean label projects lack of transparency and seemingly subjective way of rating products could leave the company wide open for conflicts of interest where any company could pay them to create bogus research to sink a competitive brand, boost brands ratings due to financial incentive, perhaps favours, or even just personal bias.  Either way, a big topic of today’s show will be brand transparency, and I don’t believe this is even remotely close enough to transparent for us to take seriously.

So, let’s move on and get into some of the information, and take you through my thinking as I am approaching these brands.

First thing you need to know is that HEAVY METALS ARE NOT PROPRIETARY to your protein.  The sourcing, blends and formulas may be, but the heavy metals are not.  And as explained in the previous podcast, even in low doses, heavy metals can have detrimental effects to the human body and especially our brain.

What I look for in a plant-based protein:
Let’s begin with plant-based proteins.  What I'm looking for are a few key things if a client of mine is requesting to use a plant-based protein:

1. Short label.  The shorter the better. No artificial sweeteners, colours and flavours, gums, etc.
2. Organic, fermented and sprouted would be ideal.
3. Low levels of heavy metals
4. No California prop65 warning (note, some Canadian companies may not sell in US, OR may not sell in the US because they know they won't pass the prop65 guidelines)
5. Good ingredients and blends of proteins such as rice and pea protein to maximize the amino acid profile, (NOT a Costco protein bar chalked with soy protein, and although the evidence is a bit back and forth on the health effects of soy, I avoid it)
6. Look for a brand that is certified by high quality independent 3rd party testing such as NSF International, USP if you’re in the US, or perhaps Informed-Sport and Informed-Choice programs. I actually had the opportunity to fly down to Kentucky and visited the Informed Choice testing labs myself a few years back and spend some time with the team.  They’re run by the LGC group, an independent drug surveillance lab that provides doping control and banned substance testing for supplements.  If I remember correctly, they began by testing horses in horse racing, hence the location right near the Kentucky Derby.  Fun fact.

While animal based proteins make up nearly 70% of the market, plant based proteins have exploded in recent years to an over 4 billion dollar industry.
Now I'm not saying one is better than the other or going to argue whether or not plant based vegan proteins are more environmentally friendly, less harmful or more healthy...that is NOT the topic of this podcast.  That alone could be a panel discussion of 20 experts bickering for a week straight. 

Of the 130 brands the clean label project spoke too, 53 of them had elevated levels of heavy metals, including the USDA certified organic plant based vegan proteins that had over 2x the levels of animal based proteins.  But again, they didn’t release those numbers so 2X the level could be so minimal it doesn’t even make a difference. And just a note on the USDA label, the USDA label doesn't touch heavy metals in their certification.  So where is the contamination coming from?  Mostly the soil.

What I look for in an animal-based protein:
I’m going to dive into this topic a lot with next weeks guest, a woman who many of you may know and look up too in the industry.  I’ll reveal that a little later in the episode, but for the most part much of the same applies.  

1. Short label.  The shorter the better. No or minimal artificial sweeteners, colours and flavours, gums, etc.
2. Hormone free, organic and grass fed are great.
3. Low levels of heavy metals
4. No California prop65 warning (note, some Canadian companies may not sell in US, OR may not sell in the US because they know they won't pass the prop65 guidelines)
5. High quality source
6. Look for a brand that is certified by high quality independent 3rd party testing such as NSF International, USP if you’re in the US, or perhaps Informed-Sport and Informed-Choice programs.
7. And no evidence of amino spiking, which will be a pretty key topic in next weeks episode.

What I look for in a collagen protein:
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and is essentially the structural “glue” that makes up connective tissues, like tendons and cartilage and it plays an important role in our bones, hair, skin and nails, our joints and even the gut.  It’s very important in the body, and our very north American diets don’t normally get enough of it.   Collagen protein includes two main amino acids, proline and glycine, which our body can produce, however as we age this process slows down, and we start to show more wrinkles, brittle hair, nails, joint pain and more.  There are different types of collagen, and each have a different role.

1. As always, I look for a short and concise short label on my products.
2. Look for a collagen that comes from grass-fed, pasture-raised animals, or wild-caught fish, with sourcing certifications.
3. Find a brand that is transparent about their processes and sourcing.
4. Look for a brand that is certified by high quality independent 3rd party testing such as NSF International, USP if you’re in the US, as purity is a key with collagen proteins.
5. I look for a hydrolyzed collagen or collagen peptides, and avoid collagen gummies.  The gummies are normally sugar based and have other filler ingredients I don’t want.

I don’t look for marine/bovine blends, as I had read once that combining them doesn’t have as great of an effect, but I’ll need to look for the literature on that again before I can tell you to actually take that one super seriously or not.  Also there are no vegan sources of foods that have collagen, however there are some that can boost collagen production by helping your body make the necessary amino acids.

This leads us into part 2.  The actual analysis based on REAL DATA. (Waive the papers) 

So number 1 - Transparency is KEY.  As a consumer, if I email your company, message you on social media, or phone you,  I obviously expect a reply, especially if I am inquiring about a certificate of analysis on a product that could potentially have an impact on my health.  For the remainder of the podcast I will refer to the certificate of analysis as a COA.  On a COA report for a product batch, you will find a heavy metals analysis, I microbial analysis, an amino analysis, and much more.

First of all, here are the companies that just straight up didn’t respond, or after we spoke, they ghosted.  Keep in mind I reached out to each company between 1-4 times each, by email, social media, and/or phone.

• Arbonne (I phoned the company, they said they would get back, no response.  Doesn’t matter, I would never put this company on a list of recommended products, they sell garbage at in inflated price)
• Allmax
• Amazing Grass
• ANS Performance
• Athletic Alliance
• Beyond Raw
• Beyond Yourself
• Bodylogix
• Botanica
• Botanica
• BPI Sports
• BioSteel
• BioX
• BSN
• CanPrev
• Cellucor
• Dymatize
• GAT Sport
• Genuine Health
• Ghost
• Herbalife
• Iron Kingdom
• Isagenix
• Jym Supplement Science
• Kaha
• MusclePharm
• Mutant
• Natural Factors
• Natural Force
• Natures Best by Isopure
• North Coast Naturals
• NOW
• Nutrabolics
• Nutracelle
• Nutiva
• Nuzest
• Orgain
• Perfect Sports
• PEScience
• PHD
• Prairie Naturals
• Protein Co
• Primal Kitchen
• Prosupps
• Plant vital
• Quest
• R3P Lifestyle
• Rule1
• Redcon1
• Revive Naturals
• Revive Sups
• RivalUs
• SixStar
• Shakelee
• Schinoussa
• USANA
• Vegava
• Vital Proteins (even though I know they responded to Dr. Gonzalez, and he said they tested fine)
• Yummy Sports
• Zint

Here are the companies that responded, but completely denied to send a certificate of analysis.  Keeping in mind...  I only asked for the heavy metals analysis, and made it very clear that I would be happy to receive the information with any proprietary info such as the testing lab blacked out.  All I wanted was the numbers.

• Advocare
• Amway
• Beach Body
• Bulletproof
• BodyFortress
• Bubs Naturals
• Ergogenics
• EHP Labs
• Foursigmatic
• Garden of Life (bought out by nestle - COA didn't have lot numbers, lab listed, batches tested - alot of missing information. - again, high lead)
• GNC Brand
• HD Muscle
• Iron Vegan
• LeanFit
• Smart Solutions (Lorna Vanderhaeghe)
• Manitoba Harvest
• Mammoth
• MyProtein
• Optimum Nutrition
• Precision Supplements
• Progressive
• Plant Fusion
• PVL
• Sports Research
• Sunwarrior
• Teras Whey
• Vega

Next, let's get to the companies who were accommodating and sent COA's

• Alani Nu
• Ancient Nutrition (Dr. Axe’s company)
• Ascent
• ATP Lab
• Aura
• Believe Supplements
• BiOptimizers
• Blue Star Nutraceuticals
• Bodylogix
• BioAbsorb
• Canadian Protein
• Genuine Health
• Kaizen
• Magnum
• Naked Nutrition (Now this was a VERY impressive one, because Naked Nutrition has their testing RIGHT THERE on their site!  I didn’t even have to ask them!  I have never seen a company do this, but am over the moon about their transparency with the public.)
• OBVI Collagen (OBVI was actually the very first company to email back)
• Organika
• Pharmafreak/SD Pharma
• Spoos for their collagen
• TC Nutrition
• Webber Naturals
• Whole Earth & Sea
• Vorst

So of all of these over 100+ companies I reached out too, I had a mere 22 companies provide the information and garner themselves transparent in my books.  There are other companies that I think have better product claims, but these weren’t transparent with me after sending many requests for the COA, which means they are on my list of companies to maybe be a bit suspect of, because if you're leaving me in the dark, you're leaving my clients in the dark, which means if I can't trust you enough to give to recommend to the people who have put their trust in us.


So let's get into the results of the COA's that were sent:

For reference, here are the elemental Impurities Limits/Safe harbor levels

(µg/day = micrograms/day) (1 millionth of a gram) (1:1 Microgram:PPM)

Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment: Prop 65 No Significant Risk Levels (NSRLs) for Carcinogens and Maximum Allowable Dose Levels (MADLs) for Chemicals Causing Reproductive Toxicity:

https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/proposition-65//safeharborlist032519.pdf

The ranges of allowable limits on heavy metals changes based on where you are.  Canadian NPN numbers are different from the FDA, which are both much higher in allowable limits, specifically in lead, than in California, even though in 2018 the FDA cut the allowable limit of lead in food by half from 6 micrograms per day to 3 to protect children’s neurological development.

As per the Prop65 act of California the strict limits of these levels is legally required in order to sell products in the state, and if you test higher, you will get hit with a Prop 65 warning that reads: WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals which are known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.

Proposition 65, is a law specific to the State of California that requires products sold in California to carry warnings about potential exposure to a list of 900 substances “known to the state” to cause a potential threat to health. 

California’s daily limit for lead, in particular, is 0.5 mcg (or ppm), which is 20-50x more stringent than acceptable levels established by most associations.

Whether the soil is certified organic or conventional soil, GMO or non-GMO, often times lead levels in the foods you eat will surpass this number in a 24 hour period of eating.  So in truth, the Prop65 numbers are quite exaggerated, and I can’t actually find where or what studies they’re getting these extremely low lead levels from.

So if you’re reading and want to check a company’s COA yourself and it requires converting, it’s safe to bet that they are reported in parts per million PPM so the quickest way to figure out if your protein is safe or not is:
1ppm = 1 microgram per gram.
Its a 1:1 conversion. 

So if we’re measuring a protein scoop, take the number measured on the COA, then multiply that by 14.3 (the amount of grams in a tablespoon) then multiply that result by 2.  We multiply it by 2 because if you were measuring grams, 14.3 grams multiplied by two is 28.6 grams, which is about the scoop of contents in a protein scooper.  
So now we know how much is in each scoop, so we can begin to figure out if we have a scoop a day, is this safe or not.

In conclusion:

No company that sent me their COA’s had any issue passing the numbers or gave me reason to believe they’re powder was harboring alarmingly high heavy metal numbers.   Collagen and Whey proteins were no issue at all, and because plant-based proteins are grown from our soil, they will all be higher in lead.  If this is a concern for you, perhaps consider taking herbal heavy metal chelators that will help to rid them from your body, or go to your doctor and request the tests I spoke about in the last video to see if it might be a concern for you or not.

I can’t speak for any of the companies who didn’t respond or chose not to respond after many attempts, but I personally wouldn’t choose to support them based on the fact that they aren’t willing to be transparent with their products information, especially an ingestible product.  

At the end of the day, if you’re hear because you’ve read news headlines that read, “Clean Label Project Finds Hidden Toxins in Protein Powders”, “Your Protein Powder Might Be Contaminated with Toxins, Says Consumer’s Reports” or “Study Finds Some Protein Powders Are Toxic To Your Health”, take it with a grain of salt, and make sure to check what they are referencing.

Overexposure to heavy metals is a public health concern, particularly in the developing world as our soils become more and more contaminated, and while we must stay vigilant to ensure our chosen food and supplement providers aren’t crossing any lines, it’s my belief that much of the hysteria around heavy metals and the way news outlets have chosen to report it appears to be more on the side of sensationalized fear-mongering.

At the end of the day I believe that a rising tide raises all ships.  And if the information you listed to today and in the last show has helped to educate you from a consumer standpoint, taught you more about what heavy metals are, and given you some tools to help you move forward and continue create a healthy lifestyle that allows you to live an incredible life, then I think my job is done.  I’m not here to make a news story or tear down an industry that also helps me pay the bills, it’s about raising awareness and helping people take action and create accountability for their own health, and not to be afraid to ask the difficult questions.

On next week’s podcast I’ll be talking speaking with Miss Canada Sarah Harrison, a Holistic nutritionist, an editorial writer for Inside Fitness Magazine, as well as the brand manager for Believe Supplements, and we’ll be talking about her life story and overcoming her health struggles, as well as diving deeper into Whey Protein, how to choose a whey protein, the amino spiking controversy, and more…so stay tuned for that!

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