Manufacturers of dietary supplements can make claims about their products that fall into three categories: health claims, nutrient content claims and claims about the product’s function, structure or both, all without needing to provide supporting evidence.
Under a 1994 law, dietary supplements are classified as food, not as drugs.
This means dietary supplements are not required to prove efficacy, unlike drugs.
Regulators also don’t take action on a product until it is shown to cause harm.
Protein powders may contain unknown ingredients, such as toxins which manufacturers are not required to screen for.
a new study shows that many of the top-selling powders and drinks may contain concerning levels of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead, and toxins like bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in some plastic containers and food can liners.
These substances have been linked to cancer, brain damage, and reproductive issues.
A new study from the Clean Label Project, (a nonprofit organization that examines labeling safety issues) found that virtually all of the 134 products tested contained detectable levels of at least one heavy metal and 55 percent tested positive for BPA.
This is not the first research that has shown high contaminant levels in such products: A 2010 Consumer Reports’ study detected arsenic, cadmium, lead and/or mercury in samples of all the 15 powders tested.