4 ms·

I use PlantFusion in my pre/post-workout protein shakes (in combination with Transparent Labs whey protein isolate and a couple different types of collagen powd

by buu700 2y ago

I use PlantFusion in my pre/post-workout protein shakes (in combination with Transparent Labs whey protein isolate and a couple different types of collagen powder), and this was one of the reasons I liked it: https://plantfusion.com/pages/faq https://plantfusion.com/pages/faq IS PLANTFUSION TESTED FOR HEAVY METALS? Yes, we do indeed do third party testing on all our PlantFusion products. There’s been a whole lot of attention lately on heavy metals in nutritional supplements. Particularly those products on the market containing brown rice and/or brown rice syrup. In the early development of PlantFusion, we found through our own research and testing that brown rice protein typically had levels of certain heavy metals (namely lead, arsenic and cadmium) that were many times higher than our other plant protein sources. Because of this, and a few other factors, we opted to take brown rice out of all of our formulas and continue to test for heavy metals within our products to ensure safety and efficacy.

swatcoder 2y ago
While that's more reassuring than no statement at all, I'd suggest keeping in mind that claims and actions don't always align and that leadership changes -- as when a startup folds in new investors or gets sold whiledale -- can and do exploit exactly the kind of trust you're investing here. What you like about a small brand like this today could change tomorrow, or could have already changed in way that someone conveniently "forgot" to reflect on the website. Everybody's got their own standards for risk tolerance and due diligence, but in historically shady markets like nutritional supplements and growth-chasing startups, soft skepticism and ongoing vigilance have some place.
- buu700 2y ago
  Yeah, it's not definitive, but was nice to see it addressed at all. GPT mostly corroborates their basic claim at least, with the caveat that one of the five protein sources in use (algae) can be high-risk depending on where it was sourced from. I would of course much prefer if they published a certificate of analysis for each batch.
  - teaearlgraycold 2y ago
    > GPT mostly corroborates their basic claim at least What exactly did you ask it?
    - buu700 2y ago
      Q: Is it true that rice protein is more likely to be contaminated with heavy metals than other plant proteins? What about pea, artichoke, sprouted amaranth, quinoa, and algae? A: Yes, *rice protein* is more likely to be contaminated with heavy metals compared to some other plant proteins. This is due to *rice’s natural tendency to absorb heavy metals, particularly arsenic, cadmium, and lead, from soil and water*. Here’s a breakdown of why this occurs and how it compares to other plant proteins: ... ### Conclusion - *Rice protein* has a higher likelihood of heavy metal contamination, particularly arsenic, compared to other plant proteins like pea, artichoke, and quinoa. - *Algae proteins* can also be at higher risk but are safer if sourced from controlled environments. - Pea, artichoke, and sprouted grains (amaranth and quinoa) generally have lower contamination risks but depend on growing conditions. If heavy metal contamination is a concern, choose products from manufacturers that perform third-party testing and provide transparency about their heavy metal levels. Diversifying protein sources is also a practical way to reduce risk.
      - teaearlgraycold 2y ago
        I have also heard of rice being a risk for heavy metal consumption (especially brown rice). But I don’t trust GPT too much for anything I’m not an expert on. I’ve seen it be wrong often enough for things I know a lot about. Even things I would have expected to appear frequently in the training data.
        buu700 2y ago
        Yeah, I pretty much see it like something in between Wikipedia and reddit. It's great as a first pass for really specific questions that Google wouldn't help much with, especially when they require follow-up, but I wouldn't treat any of the output as more reliable than random hearsay until verifying it against an authoritative source.
cgh 2y ago
You were right to be concerned. From the article: "Plant-based protein powders were the most contaminated, containing five times more cadmium than their whey-based counterparts."
jpmattia 2y ago
It raises the question: Where are things like arsenic and cadmium coming from? Is it in the brown rice to begin with? If so, why?
- SoftTalker 2y ago
  Pollution, and depending on location it could be from naturally occurring deposits.
  - jpmattia 2y ago
    Same question as in the other comment: Are warnings issued about the protein powders but not the original rice the powder is made from?
- hollerith 2y ago
  Plants must extract nutrients from the soil. An important such nutrient is phosphorus. Because arsenic is chemically similar to phosphorus, any arsenic in the soil will get extracted also, ending up in the plant. The soil in Louisiana and Arkansas, which is good for growing rice, happens to be high in (naturally-occurring) arsenic.
  - andhuman 2y ago
    Important to note is that when arsenic is in rice, a lot of it is organic arsenic and therefore not easily picked up by the body like inorganic arsenic.
  - jpmattia 2y ago
    So is the rice itself also high in arsenic/cadmium? ie, are people issuing warnings about the protein powders but not the original material the powder is made from?
    - hollerith 2y ago
      Rice grown in Louisiana and Arkansas (i.e., most rice grown in the US) is indeed high in arsenic. My guess is that the protein powders are made from brown rice or even rice bran and rice germ whereas most rice in the US is eaten as white rice (i.e., rice without bran or germ). I'm guessing that makes a difference. Also, if you cook rice as if it were pasta (i.e., in much more water than needed, which is then discarded at the end of cooking) as recommended by the USDA, the amount of arsenic is cut in half. The manufacturers of protein powders probably don't bother to process the rice this way (whereas I do when I cook rice).
dehrmann 2y ago
$38 per pound for protein powder?
- buu700 2y ago
  Looks like I'm paying $16.57/lb for PlantFusion on Amazon and $27.27/lb for Transparent Labs on their website. I didn't find any better keto-friendly options without artificial sweeteners, but it's not a massive expense all things considered. Edit: Ah, yeah, I see that the PlantFusion website charges $38/lb. (Less than that if you buy bigger packages and subscribe, but still more than Amazon.) Not sure what the deal with that is.
  - dublinben 2y ago
    TrueNutrition has unflavored protein powders (pea, whey, etc.) starting at only $15/lb. You can even make your own custom blends. No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.
    - buu700 2y ago
      Nice, thanks for the recommendation! That looks like an awesome product, definitely something I'd consider experimenting with in the future. I was able to put together a blend that's pretty close to my current mix: https://truenutrition.com/products/protein-customizer?grass-fed-whey-protein-concentrate=40&grass-fed-hydrolyzed-beef-collagen=10&multi-collagen=15&marine-collagen=5&hemp-protein-powder=5&alfalfa-greens-protein-powder=5&cranplus-protein=15&pumpkinplus-protein=5&branched-chain-aminos-boost=true&trueflavor-horchata=regular&protein-enzyme-boost=true&package=jug https://truenutrition.com/products/protein-customizer?grass-... A few areas I'd like to see improved: * The variety of plant proteins could be wider. Or even better, they could add a pre-configured plant protein blend that they vouch for in terms of taste/texture/mixability. As-is, it seems like I'd be taking a shot in the dark to approximate something similar to PlantFusion, and I'd be concerned about that requiring a lot of trial and error to get a palatable end result. (On the other hand, maybe sticking to just the pea/cranberry protein would be good enough, and for extra diversity I could use a little bit less plant protein and throw in some egg protein.) * I don't love that most of the flavors contain guar gum. Not that it's particularly harmful as far as I know, just seems unnecessary. It looks like horchata, orange cream, and chai latte may be the only stevia flavors without guar gum, which would be pretty limiting if I were to restrict myself to those flavors. More generally, it would be nice if you could just pick whatever flavor you wanted independently of the sweetener, and maybe have guar gum as an additional option if you really wanted it. * More variety in the "boost" ingredients would be nice. For example, my current collagen powders (Nature Target marine collagen and multi-collagen) include hyaluronic acid, elastin, and a few other minor ingredients that I'd consider adding given the option. * A grass-fed whey protein isolate option would be nice, since that's what I currently use, but concentrate is close enough to isolate that this is basically nitpicking. * And of course some assurance of heavy metal testing would be great, if they don't have this already (I didn't see it anywhere). It would save a bit of time and space to be able to switch to that, though, so I'll pass along my feedback to the company and keep an eye on it for the future.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]

by buu700 2y ago

swatcoder 2y ago

While that's more reassuring than no statement at all, I'd suggest keeping in mind that claims and actions don't always align and that leadership changes -- as when a startup folds in new investors or gets sold whiledale -- can and do exploit exactly the kind of trust you're investing here. What you like about a small brand like this today could change tomorrow, or could have already changed in way that someone conveniently "forgot" to reflect on the website. Everybody's got their own standards for risk tolerance and due diligence, but in historically shady markets like nutritional supplements and growth-chasing startups, soft skepticism and ongoing vigilance have some place.

buu700 2y ago
Yeah, it's not definitive, but was nice to see it addressed at all. GPT mostly corroborates their basic claim at least, with the caveat that one of the five protein sources in use (algae) can be high-risk depending on where it was sourced from. I would of course much prefer if they published a certificate of analysis for each batch.
- teaearlgraycold 2y ago
  > GPT mostly corroborates their basic claim at least What exactly did you ask it?
  - buu700 2y ago
    Q: Is it true that rice protein is more likely to be contaminated with heavy metals than other plant proteins? What about pea, artichoke, sprouted amaranth, quinoa, and algae? A: Yes, *rice protein* is more likely to be contaminated with heavy metals compared to some other plant proteins. This is due to *rice’s natural tendency to absorb heavy metals, particularly arsenic, cadmium, and lead, from soil and water*. Here’s a breakdown of why this occurs and how it compares to other plant proteins: ... ### Conclusion - *Rice protein* has a higher likelihood of heavy metal contamination, particularly arsenic, compared to other plant proteins like pea, artichoke, and quinoa. - *Algae proteins* can also be at higher risk but are safer if sourced from controlled environments. - Pea, artichoke, and sprouted grains (amaranth and quinoa) generally have lower contamination risks but depend on growing conditions. If heavy metal contamination is a concern, choose products from manufacturers that perform third-party testing and provide transparency about their heavy metal levels. Diversifying protein sources is also a practical way to reduce risk.
    - teaearlgraycold 2y ago
      I have also heard of rice being a risk for heavy metal consumption (especially brown rice). But I don’t trust GPT too much for anything I’m not an expert on. I’ve seen it be wrong often enough for things I know a lot about. Even things I would have expected to appear frequently in the training data.
      - buu700 2y ago
        Yeah, I pretty much see it like something in between Wikipedia and reddit. It's great as a first pass for really specific questions that Google wouldn't help much with, especially when they require follow-up, but I wouldn't treat any of the output as more reliable than random hearsay until verifying it against an authoritative source.

cgh 2y ago

You were right to be concerned. From the article: "Plant-based protein powders were the most contaminated, containing five times more cadmium than their whey-based counterparts."

jpmattia 2y ago

It raises the question: Where are things like arsenic and cadmium coming from? Is it in the brown rice to begin with? If so, why?

SoftTalker 2y ago
Pollution, and depending on location it could be from naturally occurring deposits.
- jpmattia 2y ago
  Same question as in the other comment: Are warnings issued about the protein powders but not the original rice the powder is made from?
hollerith 2y ago
Plants must extract nutrients from the soil. An important such nutrient is phosphorus. Because arsenic is chemically similar to phosphorus, any arsenic in the soil will get extracted also, ending up in the plant. The soil in Louisiana and Arkansas, which is good for growing rice, happens to be high in (naturally-occurring) arsenic.
- andhuman 2y ago
  Important to note is that when arsenic is in rice, a lot of it is organic arsenic and therefore not easily picked up by the body like inorganic arsenic.
- jpmattia 2y ago
  So is the rice itself also high in arsenic/cadmium? ie, are people issuing warnings about the protein powders but not the original material the powder is made from?
  - hollerith 2y ago
    Rice grown in Louisiana and Arkansas (i.e., most rice grown in the US) is indeed high in arsenic. My guess is that the protein powders are made from brown rice or even rice bran and rice germ whereas most rice in the US is eaten as white rice (i.e., rice without bran or germ). I'm guessing that makes a difference. Also, if you cook rice as if it were pasta (i.e., in much more water than needed, which is then discarded at the end of cooking) as recommended by the USDA, the amount of arsenic is cut in half. The manufacturers of protein powders probably don't bother to process the rice this way (whereas I do when I cook rice).

dehrmann 2y ago

$38 per pound for protein powder?

buu700 2y ago
Looks like I'm paying $16.57/lb for PlantFusion on Amazon and $27.27/lb for Transparent Labs on their website. I didn't find any better keto-friendly options without artificial sweeteners, but it's not a massive expense all things considered. Edit: Ah, yeah, I see that the PlantFusion website charges $38/lb. (Less than that if you buy bigger packages and subscribe, but still more than Amazon.) Not sure what the deal with that is.
- dublinben 2y ago
  TrueNutrition has unflavored protein powders (pea, whey, etc.) starting at only $15/lb. You can even make your own custom blends. No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.
  - buu700 2y ago
    Nice, thanks for the recommendation! That looks like an awesome product, definitely something I'd consider experimenting with in the future. I was able to put together a blend that's pretty close to my current mix: https://truenutrition.com/products/protein-customizer?grass-fed-whey-protein-concentrate=40&grass-fed-hydrolyzed-beef-collagen=10&multi-collagen=15&marine-collagen=5&hemp-protein-powder=5&alfalfa-greens-protein-powder=5&cranplus-protein=15&pumpkinplus-protein=5&branched-chain-aminos-boost=true&trueflavor-horchata=regular&protein-enzyme-boost=true&package=jug https://truenutrition.com/products/protein-customizer?grass-... A few areas I'd like to see improved: * The variety of plant proteins could be wider. Or even better, they could add a pre-configured plant protein blend that they vouch for in terms of taste/texture/mixability. As-is, it seems like I'd be taking a shot in the dark to approximate something similar to PlantFusion, and I'd be concerned about that requiring a lot of trial and error to get a palatable end result. (On the other hand, maybe sticking to just the pea/cranberry protein would be good enough, and for extra diversity I could use a little bit less plant protein and throw in some egg protein.) * I don't love that most of the flavors contain guar gum. Not that it's particularly harmful as far as I know, just seems unnecessary. It looks like horchata, orange cream, and chai latte may be the only stevia flavors without guar gum, which would be pretty limiting if I were to restrict myself to those flavors. More generally, it would be nice if you could just pick whatever flavor you wanted independently of the sweetener, and maybe have guar gum as an additional option if you really wanted it. * More variety in the "boost" ingredients would be nice. For example, my current collagen powders (Nature Target marine collagen and multi-collagen) include hyaluronic acid, elastin, and a few other minor ingredients that I'd consider adding given the option. * A grass-fed whey protein isolate option would be nice, since that's what I currently use, but concentrate is close enough to isolate that this is basically nitpicking. * And of course some assurance of heavy metal testing would be great, if they don't have this already (I didn't see it anywhere). It would save a bit of time and space to be able to switch to that, though, so I'll pass along my feedback to the company and keep an eye on it for the future.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]