Protein powders have become a wellness -not -the go -To -answer for everything, from building muscles to ‘getting enough proteins’.
But despite their popularity, these supplements in powder form may not be as healthy or safe as we think.
One medical expert even says they can do more harm than good – and in some cases manufacturers don’t even know what’s in it.
“I can tell you that the advertised versus actual amounts varied enormously,” Dr. Khameinei Ali, an MD that happens to be an MBA (Cambridge), MPH (Harvard), President of the Westchester County Medical Society, and a clinical computer scientist certified by the Council, DailYMail.com told.
Before the medical school he even worked as an analytical chemist for the Ministry of Defense and he analyzed freely available supplements for accuracy.
His greatest care? That protein powder labels do not tell the full story – and the regulations are not strong enough to protect consumers.
“The most important problem with protein powders is that we do not know what is in it or that they contain the amounts advertised,” said Dr. Ali.
“The most important thing is that the manufacturers may not know what is in it.”
Protein powders are regulated according to much less strict standards than other food and medicines (stock image)
In contrast to prescription drugs or even standard food products, protein powders fall into a legal gray zone.
Dr. Ali explained that these protein powders are mainly regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and only partially by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
Moreover, they are inspected among much less strict standards than food and drugs.
“She opens this for all kinds of misleading labels and extremely bad industrial standards,” Dr. said. Ali.
Translation: That expensive powder with vanilla flea -fledged that you picked up because there was ‘clean’ or ‘lab tested’? Chances are it was neither.
“There is very little until every independent laboratory verification of content and authenticity of claims,” he added.
“Unfortunately, this means that they can contain all kinds of toxic chemicals and by -products.”
In addition to the risk of inaccurate protein, powders derived from whey, soy or hemp often contain additional ingredients for which you probably have not registered.
Protein powders express their concern about long -term safety because of their absorption of additives, sugars and even toxins (stock image)
“These powders … often contain hidden additives, added sugars and even toxins such as heavy metals and BPA – up to 25 times the safe limit according to independent tests,” he said.
This evokes concern about long -term safety.
If that sounds frightening, it is because it is so – and lax supervision does not help.
“Again, the FDA does not arrange them closely, so that consumers are left in the dark about what is really in every scoop,” he emphasized.
In most cases it is probably a good idea to dump the protein powder away – especially if you are generally healthy and use protein powder to achieve vague fitness goals.
The expert advises to use them unless a medical professional tells you that.
“Unless medical supervision – such as for post -surgical healing, recovery of cancer or advanced vulnerability – I recommend sticking to entire food sources such as eggs, dairy products, legumes and lean meat in most cases,” Dr. Ali.
And if you have underlying conditions, such as kidney disease, the bet is even higher.
“Apart from toxins, people with kidney disease must follow their protein intake to prevent further damage,” he said.
Until tighter regulations are present and independent tests become standard, your safest gamble is to stay with real food.
Whole eggs and chicken fillet may not be in chocolate flavor, but at least you know what is in it.
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