Lead in Protein Powder: What Consumer Reports Got Wrong About Heavy Metal Safety Standards

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Today’s Health Upgrade

• The science of why winter workouts are harder

• The simple trick to drink more water

• Lead in protein powder: The question no one is asking

Fitness 
Why Your Winter Workouts Feel Harder Than They Should

If your runs or rides feel tougher once the temperature drops, it’s not all in your head or your legs. Even trained athletes experience real physiological slowdowns when exercising in the cold.

New research suggests that endurance performance can drop by up to 30 percent in cold air, even before your body becomes hypothermic.

In a controlled study, researchers had trained endurance cyclists perform rides to exhaustion at 70 percent of their VO₂max in four different temperatures: 70°F (21°C), 45°F (7°C), 32°F (0°C), and 5°F (-15°C). 

The colder it got, the shorter they lasted. Compared to room temperature, performance declined by 13 percent at 45°F, 22 percent at 32°F, and 30 percent at 5°F.

Here’s the surprising part: heart rate, oxygen use, and perceived effort didn’t change. The athletes felt the same, but their bodies couldn’t maintain output. 

Their skin temperature dropped by up to 15°C, and their core temperature cooled by about 1°C, leading to reduced endurance even without severe hypothermia. Researchers believe the brain senses the cold and triggers early fatigue to prevent further cooling, a protective “central governor” effect.

It’s not about toughness. It’s about thermoregulation. If you’re training outdoors this winter, remember:

• It’s possible to expect 10% to 30% lower performance, so plan effort-based, not pace-based workouts.

• Warm up longer: spend 15 to 20 minutes gradually increasing intensity.

• Dress smart: layer up, protect your core and extremities, and avoid overdressing to the point of overheating.

• Go indoors when needed: high-intensity intervals are best kept above 40°F (4°C).

Together With YETI
The Simple Trick That Makes You Drink More Water

Most people know they should drink more water, but good intentions alone don’t fill your bottle. The secret isn’t discipline. It's design.

If you want to stay hydrated, keeping water visible and accessible is not about willpower; it’s about removing friction.

Researchers studied people who struggled the most with hydration: adults with kidney stones and chronically low water intake. Everyone received the same advice: “Drink more fluids.” But half the group also received a reusable smart bottle that tracked intake, sent reminders, and synced with their phones.

After 12 weeks, the smart-bottle group drank 74 percent more water. Even better, the number of people who said they “forgot to drink” dropped by nearly a quarter.

Other studies show the same principle applies even without technology. In an observational study, people who carried a reusable bottle were 53 percent more consistent with hydration.

This approach works thanks to friction reduction. 

When water is in sight and easy to reach, the decision to drink becomes automatic. Each sip is no longer a choice; it’s a cue.

You don’t need a fancy gadget. A good bottle — like a durable, insulated one that stays cold — can quietly change your behavior. Keep it at your desk, in your bag, or beside your bed.

In other words, a great water bottle isn’t just a container — it’s a cue for better behavior.

If you need help drinking more, we recommend the YETI 26 oz Water Bottle. It’s built from ultra-durable stainless steel, so you never have to worry about wear and tear. The double-wall vacuum insulation keeps your water icy cold for hours — no matter how hot your commute, gym, or summer hike gets. And the leak-resistant straw lid makes it easy to sip without slowing down.

Hydration isn’t about motivation; it’s about the environment you create. Whether you’re heading to the gym, your desk, or your next adventure, make water easy to access, and your body will take care of the rest.

Adam’s Corner 
The Truth About Lead in Protein Powder (And Why You Probably Don’t Need to Panic)

Before we ever tried to sell a single scoop of protein, we failed an important test.

Years ago, I helped create a supplement company with Arnold. It was a different type of challenge. In an industry built on deception and empty claims, we wanted to create a minimalist supplement line that focused only on products with scientific evidence (because not many products work) and backed by the highest safety standards.

We’d invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to do what almost no company in the industry did: test every single batch for safety and purity.

Then came the email: we failed our NSF certification.

I remember staring at the results, confused. How could we fail?

Turns out, the source of our cocoa — the same kind found in thousands of everyday foods — contained levels of heavy metals that exceeded NSF’s threshold. Not because someone cut corners or added something harmful, but because plants absorb what’s in the ground. 

The soil, the water, the air — they all leave a fingerprint. Creating a plant protein meant we faced a double tax: both its protein source and flavor came from plants, resulting in higher exposure than we wanted. 

As I found out, it’s not just about protein powders. Spinach, strawberries, carrots, apples, tea, and so many other perfectly healthy foods all pull trace amounts of metals like lead and cadmium from the earth. It’s the unavoidable cost of being part of a living ecosystem.

That experience taught me two things:

1. Safety testing matters.

2. Context matters even more.

Which brings me to this week’s viral Consumer Reports story warning people to stop using protein powder because of lead.

We sold the supplement company more than five years ago. But we still believe that protein powder has a place, and that place was questioned by the Consumer Reports article. 

I’ve received numerous emails about the article, and it’s essential to address the topic. Because your health literacy is our responsibility. 

The Consumer Reports article about lead and protein powders — and all of the social media noise that has followed — has ignored the most important question of all. 

The Question You Should Be Asking About Protein Safety

Everyone has heard the saying, “the dose makes the poison.” It’s catchy, and it highlights something essential when you assess the safety or danger of any behavior:

At what point does something good or benign actually become bad?

Consumer Reports claims that 0.5 micrograms of lead per day is safe. The evidence? In their own words, it’s “CR’s level of concern for lead.”

Naturally, you might assume that number is based on scientific research. However, according to Dr. Andrea Love, an immunologist, microbiologist, and biotechnology scientist, Consumer Reports uses a number that does not reflect the scientific consensus in the US or EU. 

Consumer Reports established its “level of concern” based on Prop 65 numbers. These are the same Prop 65 warnings that you might notice in California when navigating the produce aisle. 

Prop 65 levels were “Set arbitrarily, and don't have evidence to support them — they generally are orders of magnitude more conservative than what the scientific body of evidence suggests and what global regulatory agencies (toxicologists, chemists, biomedical scientists) have determined,” says Dr. Love.

What you’re not told is that the perception of danger does not reflect established levels of risk. 

It’s like warning someone that a single coffee bean contains a dangerous amount of caffeine, when scientists know you'd need to consume 1,000 beans before experiencing any effect. Prop 65 doesn't warn you at the danger point. It warns you at a small fraction of the danger point.

Need proof? Dr. Love shared:

In Europe, they use a benchmark dose lower confidence limit (BMDL01), a daily exposure above which can increase the risk of adverse events by 1%. Levels vary by health outcome: cardiovascular effects are 1.5  µg/kg body weight/day, so for the same 70 kg adult, that's 105  µg/day, or 210X higher than the Prop 65 level. Kidney effects (based on how quickly lead can be filtered and excreted) is 0.63  µg/kg/day, 44  µg/day, or 88X higher than the Prop 65 level.

The Water, Fruit, And Vegetable Test

While extreme lead exposure can be a health concern, the numbers being used by Consumer Reports are magnitudes less than where the actual danger exists because you can’t avoid lead — it’s a part of the planet.

We are all exposed to lead and it’s impossible to avoid it. That’s why if you took a blood test, some lead would be in your blood. And no, having trace amounts in your blood doesn’t mean you’re being poisoned. (If you want to understand this in greater detail, I recommend reading this thorough explanation from Dr. Love).

There’s a reason the FDA and European Food Safety Authority don’t ban all levels of heavy metals. That would mean creating fear around healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and even water. 

That’s right, even tap water has lead. For tap water, there is a safety threshold of 15 ppb, and bottled water has a 5 ppb allowable level. So, if you drank 2 liters of water per day, you could consume approximately 10 micrograms of lead, which the EPA still deems as safe.

And that brings us back to protein powder, and — specifically — Momentous Plant Protein powder, because it’s what we have recommended. 

Consumer Reports claims Momentous had 2.33 micrograms of lead. To be clear, this was for an old product that is no longer on the shelves. When that product was available, Momentous's third-party testing showed 1.6 micrograms per serving. 

For the sake of argument, let’s assume the 2.33 micrograms claimed by Consumer Reports is correct. If you compare that amount to real-world foods, the context becomes even more shocking. 

According to a study on 370 samples of fruits and vegetables, scientists found that low levels of lead are common in some incredibly nutritious foods. Here’s a look at a real-world comparison. 

• 1 medium tomato = 2.33 micrograms

• 1 medium carrot = 2.33 micrograms

• 2 celery stalks = 2.33 micrograms

• 1.5 apples = 2.3 micrograms

• 1.5 cups raspberries = 2.1 micrograms

• 8-10 strawberries = 2.2 micrograms

In other words, a Momentous protein shake contains roughly the same amount of lead as a serving of fruit or a salad.

Would Consumer Reports tell you to avoid most produce? Of course not, because if they did that, they’d go viral for the wrong reasons. They don’t want those headlines. 

It’s not just Momentous, either. 

The highest lead level in any of the protein powders measured was 70.2 parts per billion (Huel), which is 71 times lower than the safety threshold for dietary supplements in the EU, says Dr. Love. 

So the bigger question isn’t whether you need to abandon your protein powder, it’s why is Consumer Reports freaking you out if it has the same trace amounts you’d find in your produce drawer?

See The Bigger Picture

When that Consumer Reports story hit, a friend texted me. 

Her message resonated deeply, extending far beyond this newsletter. When I saw the post, my first thought wasn’t about Momentous or even my responsibility to all of you, which is something I take seriously every day. 

It was personal. My wife, my kids, and I all use the same Momentous protein we recommend. I make them shakes every day because I trust them. Momentous took the mission of the supplement company we created years ago and improved upon it. 

Establishing the truth wasn’t just about protecting you, but also about protecting my family.

So, my first instinct wasn’t to defend; it was to double-check. Because when you care about people’s health, you don’t get defensive. You get it right.

And that’s what this really comes down to. I spent the last 48 hours going over everything.

My job — our job — isn’t to be right. It’s to get it right.
If we ever discover a real risk, we’ll own it and fix it. But this isn’t that. There’s no need to fear Momentous protein, or, honestly, most of the proteins referenced in the article.

This is fear-driven content dressed up as health advocacy. And it distracts people from the real goal: making informed, confident choices about their health.

So, if you want to use protein powder, go ahead and use it. If you don’t, that’s fine too.

We still stand behind Momentous because it is safe.

The Consumer Reports study did get one thing right: not all supplements are equal, and not all test their products.

Your best bet is only to buy supplements that are NSF Certified for Sport. As I discovered back in 2017, they will fail any product that contains dangerous levels of any heavy metal. 

Companies that test every batch — like Momentous — pay extraordinary sums to ensure your safety. And they are the only company I know of that lists all their certificates of analysis (COAs) on their site. They also include Light Labs testing on each product page, so you know the exact trace amounts of metals in every product. It’s the type of transparency every consumer deserves. 

I told you before that Momentous’s old plant-based formula had only 1.6 micrograms. Momentous’s current plant-based formula contains between 0.29 micrograms and .7 micrograms of lead per serving. The variation depends on the flavor. Chocolate contains approximately 0.7 micrograms, and cappuccino contains 0.29. These are insignificant amounts. Again, you can go to the site and check it out for yourself.

It’s worth mentioning that when Consumer Reports reached out to Momentous about this article, Momentous informed them that they had different data and were using an old product that was no longer on the shelves. Consumer Reports still decided to run with the story because they know what makes a better headline — fear. 

And that’s the last thing that should guide your behavior. Toxicology isn’t about avoiding exposure entirely; it’s about staying well below the threshold where harm can occur.

Ultimately, if you’re still nervous, you should feel empowered to adjust your diet however feels best for you. If you want to reduce lead even more, whey-based powders tend to have lower levels because they’re not derived from plants. But trying to avoid all lead will not only drive you crazy, but is also unnecessary.

No matter what, just don’t let panic dictate your decisions.

We are here because all of us felt the health and wellness industry was too driven by fear and bullshit. We started this newsletter with the simple mission to give it to you straight, so you can live without the scare tactics or the trends.

We will tell you when the fitness industry is full of it, and we will tell you when the media is full of it. We won’t ever take anyone’s side — except for yours.

Because better health isn’t built on fear. It’s built on understanding, empowerment, and informed decisions. -AB

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell