I reached out to True Nutrition about a year ago and they sent their test results for their soy protein, rice protein concentrate, pea protein isolate, whey protein isolate ultra - CFM, whey protein isolate cold-filtration, whey protein concentrate, and RGBH/soy free whey protein isolate. Tests appear to have been performed by a company called Certified Laboratories in July 2024.
I received test results for levels of lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury in each of the proteins I listed above.
Here are the lead levels they provided:
soy protein: 0.030 ppm
rice protein concentrate: 0.362 ppm
pea protein isolate: 0.025 ppm
whey protein isolate ultra CFM: 0.024 ppm
whey protein isolate cold-filtration: 0.023 ppm
whey protein concentrate: 0.016 ppm
rgbh/soy free whey protein isolate: 0.017 ppm
I haven't typed out all the arsenic and cadmium and mercury levels because I am too lazy to type it all but if anyone is curious you can DM me and I can send you the PDFs. Or maybe I'll host them on google drive or something.
Some math:
For their rice protein concentrate, to reach 10 micrograms in a day, you would have to eat 33.33 grams of the protein concentrate (keep in mind there are often other fillers in the protein powder).
0.362(x) = 10μg --> x = 33.33
For something like the soy protein, to reach 10μg in one day, you would have to eat
0.030(x) = 10μg --> x = 333 grams
TLDR:
**For True Nutrition brand protein powder, most protein sources seem safe enough, but I'm probably going to avoid rice protein concentrate**
**Edit:** Because I just read from other comments that California was suggesting 0.5μg per day, here is some more math. To consume 0.5micrograms of lead, you would have to eat:
16.67 grams of soy protein
1.38 grams of rice protein concentrate
20g of pea protein isolate
20.83g of whey protein isolate ultra CFM
21.74g of whey protein isolate cold-filtration
31.25g of whey protein concentrate
29.41g of rgbh/soy free whey protein isolate
I've been buying True Nutrition for ages. I get the isolate cold-filtration or the grass-fed. Premium vanilla, light intensity.
Mixes great in cereal, oatmeal, smoothies.
My nutritionist said that the cheaper the powder, the more likely it has elevated levels of lead.
https://www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein-powders-and-shakes-contain-high-levels-of-lead-a4206364640/
It's more expensive, but he said he only uses stuff from True Nutrition, so that's what I do.
I use TrueNutrition and mix it in cold or hot coffee. It's delicious and even in the hot it's never curdled. I put mine in a blender bottle and give it a good shake before putting it in my cup.
I've been a fan of True Nutrition. I buy 5lbs of an unflavored custom blend and buy the powdered flavors (also TN) separately. This way I can switch up flavors daily without buying a bunch of protein powders that take up too much space in my small kitchen. Also I can use small amounts of the unflavored powder when I cook (added to sauces, soups, TVP, tofu, and the like) on days that I'm not hitting my protein goal otherwise.
The vegan Ghost flavors are 10/10 with great macros, but I can't justify the price. Same with Truvani (the matcha is heavenly). Sometimes I buy the OWYN bottled shakes as a treat.
deliciousfishtacos
