The protein craze is heavy metal, literally: bombshell investigation finds unsafe lead amounts in two

You can never have too much of a good thing, the saying goes. For months now, Americans treated protein that way. What started as a fringe supplement used mostly by “gym bros and fitness-obsessed teens,” as Consumer Reports journalist Paris Martineau put it, has transformed into a full-blown mass-market wellness movement. There’s protein pastas , protein cereals , protein sodas , and even Starbucks protein cold foam .

But an extensive investigation by Consumer Reports (CR) published on Oct. 14 reveals an inconvenient truth: much of this protein comes contaminated with toxic heavy metals.

Martineau led CR’s new round of testing on protein powders and shakes, the publication’s first since 2010. Back then, CR found “concerning levels of heavy metals,” but the category still fe