CR Questions Value of Protein Drinks

Protein beverages, often positioned as dietary supplements designed to deliver higher intakes of beneficial protein for dieters or athletes, include ready-to-drink liquids or powders designed to be mixed with liquid of choice. However, Consumer Reports (CR) recently looked at the category and concluded most people dont need the extra protein in such products, and may be exposing themselves to heavy metal contamination with overuse. CR tested 15 protein drinks at an outside laboratory and found all the products had at least one sample containing one or more of arsenic, cadmium, lead and/or mercury. In fact, the amount of lead in a single daily serving of eight products was found by CR to exceed California Prop 65 levels, which would require warning labels.

In its review, CR noted sales of sports nutrition products have topped $2.7 billion, with protein drinks a major contributor. Sales span the consumer gamut, although some people interviewed by CR said teenagers are vulnerable to the promise of hope in a can. In fact, Kathy Burns, the founder of Sciencecorps, initially contacted CR about the category after having protein supplements used by her teenaged son and his friends tested by a lab. CR quoted Burns as stating, When these toxic heavy metals are combined in a product that is marketed for daily use, that raises serious public health concerns, especially for pregnant women, children, and young adults.

CR also questioned the basic value of protein drinks, stating product labels encourage consuming many multiples of the average protein intake. CR interviewed Andrew Shao, Ph.D., senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), who CR paraphrased as stating, there is no such thing as consuming too much protein, as long as youre getting other nutrients in your diet as well. Other nutritionists and dietitians disagreed with Shaos reasoning, although a statement from the American Dietetic Association said proteins could help athletes after strength and endurance training, although they should be used conservatively.

In its review, CR also called out the current regulatory requirements for dietary supplements, noting the products do not undergo pre-market review like drugs and health claims are not assessed by regulators. It stated: Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, believes that the FDAs oversight under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act is inadequate to ensure that protein drinks and other dietary supplements are consistently low in heavy metals and other contaminants.   [More] must be done to ensure that those products are properly evaluated for safety and effectiveness before they are sold to consumers.