What are some ingredients in this protein powder that may negatively effect my health?
I am wondering if anything in the following ingredients list would be considered harmful. I understand that these are all FDA approved ingredients, however aspartame is a good example of an ingredient (not in this product) that would be considered a carcinogen yet is approved by the FDA.
This particular protein powder has a strong taste yet has only 2 grams of sugar in it. This makes me wonder what is the sweetener in it. I see that sucralose is in it, but there isn't much.
(2)2 Comments
Sorted by latest first Latest Oldest Best
There are two artificial sweeteners in this product: sucralose, and acesulfame potassium (also known as Ace-K). The purpose of using two sweeteners is to get a better sugar-like taste profile than with a single sweetener alone.
You can read the relevant Wikipedia articles on these substances, but suffice it to say that neither one is really all that good to consume frequently, even if they are GRAS (generally recognized as safe) or have agency/governmental approval. We can talk about extensive LD50 animal studies, or PK studies in humans, but at the end of the day, nothing is completely safe--toxicity is a measure of exposure over time, and an excess of anything is bad no matter what it is you're putting in your body.
In light of this, the most important thing if you want to use supplements in a healthy way is to do it in moderation. As difficult as it might be to obtain your nutrition through whole foods, supplementation is precisely that--supplementing your normal diet, not substituting for it. It's not about increasing convenience by allowing you to cut back on eating as much of your dietary needs as you possibly can.
Actually, Aspartame has a pretty clear bill of health. There were some early studies which suggested that megadoses, the equivalent of slamming 40-50 diet sodas every day, might lead to a slight increase in cancer rates, but better studies have eliminated confounding factors and found that the risk is less than that of using natural sugars in food due to the lower amounts.
Looking at the list of ingredients, the only item which might be of potential risk is their source of calcium, which is not listed. Routine calcium supplementation has been associated with increased risk of heart attacks, something not observed in normal dietary consumption. I have not seen any further study of the issue, although my suspicion is that it may have more to do with many of the supplement companies using cheaper sources of calcium such as ground cuttlefish or limestone.
Another possibility is the Sodium Bicarbonate pointed out by rrirower above. Based on Wikipedia, it is occasionally called out as an athletic enhancer, but there are potential issues of toxicity at higher dosages.
All in all, you should be fine consuming this powder unless you're trying to turn it into your only foodstuff. All things in moderation, after all.
Terms of Use Privacy policy Contact About Cancellation policy © freshhoot.com2025 All Rights reserved.