I think the most important comment in that article was this one, from one of the chemists/food safety researchers involved in the project:

" none are necessary to hit your protein goals "

I hope readers will note that.

Yes, just what is the obsession with protein these days? With some exceptions (vegans?), I'm sure we all get plenty of protein and don't have to resort to adding more of it to our diet. I anticipate kidney problems will crop up in some people.

It’s good that the Consumer Report raised the alarm on lead in protein powder although this issue has been brought up several times in the past. For the majority, protein supplements are not necessary unless their lifestyles or diets (weight training, muscle building, weight management…) warrant it. Same for vegans/vegetarians who need supplement protein to meet their daily need. So minimal contamination of heavy metals is important.

For certain population in short term or long term care either at home or in a care facility, having digestive issues, cancer, or post surgery may need liquid diets including liquid protein or TPN equivalent of meal replacement to meet their daily protein intake and avoid muscle wasting. In these cases powder protein is no longer considered a supplement but a required daily protein intake. And because they will need to be on such diet for several weeks or months, getting a clean source of powder protein with minimal heavy metal contamination is important.

Not to worry, that lead will protect us from eating radioactive shrimp...

Then there is dark chocolate that I like but don’t want to munch too much in one sitting because of high lead and cadmium in it. And microplastic everywhere. Need Consumer Reports on those too.

" For certain population in short term or long term care either at home or in a care facility, having digestive issues, cancer, or post surgery may need liquid diets including liquid protein or TPN equivalent "

I don't believe any of the people who contributed their own smoothie practices in the recent "Fruit Smoothies" thread mentioned that to be the case for themself.

A family member underwent a major surgery, followed by cancer treatment, and protein was an important part of recovery. Protein shakes were necessary, especially due to overall decreased appetite during this time.

I supplement my own diet with protein shakes a few times a week to meet my own goals, which include maintaining muscle mass as I age. I track my daily protein intake, and there are simply some days I cannot consume enough without supplementing with protein powder.

Thanks for sharing the link, Lucille!

Thanks, lucille.

And the idea that many folks are getting more than enough protein already only applies to younger adults, not seniors - or serious athletes.

I get annoyed by the sloppiness of so many 'health' articles & pundits repeating the mantra that you don't need so much protein. One size does not fit all.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4924200/

excerpt:

"...Experts in the field of protein and aging recommend a protein intake between 1.2 and 2.0 g/kg/day or higher for elderly adults [3,8,15]. The RDA of 0.8 g/kg/day is well below these recommendations and reflects a value at the lowest end of the AMDR. It is estimated that 38% of adult men and 41% of adult women have dietary protein intakes below the RDA [16,17].

Most published results, based on data from either epidemiological or short-term studies, indicate a potential beneficial effect of increasing protein intake in elderly adults. These data demonstrate that elderly adults, compared with younger adults, are less responsive to low doses of amino acid intake [18]. However, this lack of responsiveness in healthy older adults can usually be overcome with higher levels of essential amino acid (EAA) consumption [18]. This is also reflected in studies comparing varying levels of protein consumption [19], suggesting that the lack of muscle responsiveness to lower doses of protein intake in elderly adults can be overcome with a higher level of protein intake. The requirement for a larger dose of protein to generate responses in elderly adults similar to the responses in younger adults provides the support for a beneficial effect of increased protein in older populations [8]...."

So for example, I'm 65 and weigh around 121 lbs, which equals around 55 kilos, which translates to anywhere from 65-110 grams of protein daily. As another example, my 90 yr old mom wasn't eating enough to get enough calories, let alone protein, so we supplemented with collagen protein powder added to some foods, which helped her gain weight and strength. Eating more protein as a senior adult helps combat age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia).

As people get older, the body slows down and digestive enzymes are released less and less so a lot of seniors have problem digesting meat, and alternative protein sources like protein powder, fish or plant based will help. A close friend in early 60’s told me steaks were his favorite but lately he has switched to eating fish to avoid indigestion problem.

" a lot of seniors have problem digesting meat, and alternative protein sources like protein powder, fish or plant based will help "

Did you hear that from a medical doctor? Is that blanket advice applicable to everyone or just for specific cases. I doubt it's the first.

That is my learned knowledge but you can easily look it up online to read it yourself. Btw, I didn’t say EVERY one so no need to doubt.

" For certain population in short term or long term care either at home or in a care facility, having digestive issues, cancer, or post surgery may need liquid diets including liquid protein or TPN equivalent "

I don't believe any of the people who contributed their own smoothie practices in the recent "Fruit Smoothies" thread mentioned that to be the case for themself.

Obviously not since you bypassed the obvious paragraph above that: “unless their lifestyles or diets (weight training, muscle building, weight management…) warrant it. Same for vegans/vegetarians who need supplement protein to meet their daily need. So minimal contamination of heavy metals is important.”

It has been my experience, too, Palisades, with red meat. Elmer, there is research that suggests we have more difficulty digesting it as we age. It's also been my anecdotal experience, which is why I rely, in part, on whey protein as a supplement.

Carol, those are my guidelines, too. There have been many studies that support strength training and muscle growth/maintenance as we get older, not just for physical benefits, but for cognition, too. The NIH published a meta analysis of this back on 2018, and it's been noted by experts in the longevity fields, particularly with regard to leg strength.

We can build muscle at any age, so it's never too late to start, and protein is key to muscle growth.

" That is my learned knowledge but you can easily look it up online to read it yourself. Btw, I didn’t say EVERY one so no need to doubt. "

I don't need to, I see a doctor regularly and always have. She'll tell me if I have a particular nutrition deficit and what to do about it if so.

Are you recommending that self-diagnosis and self-determined treatment are appropriate? Where do you slip in the input of a qualified medical doctor?

We’re only sharing knowledges here. Feel free to share yours.

Are we sharing real knowledge or self-produced pretend "knowledge".

If the former, I already did. I don't pretend to know what I don't know and am happy to rely on experts.

Elmer, I see my primary care physician on a regular basis, and I think she is wonderful. She runs my bloodwork, checks my vitals, listens to my concerns, and does all the things I expect from her.

But she doesn't ask me about meditation. I do that on my own based on extensive research that demonstrates its value in cognitive health and stress management. My PCP also doesn't ask about my interpersonal relationships and career satisfaction. I focus on those myself because research also points to those areas being important for quality of life and healthy aging. My PCP doesn't ask about the quality of my sleep. If it were poor, I'd seek out an expert in that field.

My PCP asks very little about my diet, and it's widely recognized that medical schools do not sufficiently train their students in nutritional science. There's a whole separate field of study for that. If my bloodwork showed a deficiency, my PCP would refer me to a registered dietician, as she should.

Anyone can rely simply on their medical doctor to guide them in their health and quality of life. If you don't want to look beyond your doctor in terms of protein intake, as we are discussing in this thread, that's your prerogative. But as a healthcare consumer, I'll gladly go beyond my PCP for nutritional information--because she and I both understand her limits--and further advocate for my health by doing research and seeking other expert advice. This is not radical, but rather a sane and responsible approach to the complexity of health, and a recognition of the different lanes in the medical field.

As an added note, women have generally been mis-advised in terms of exercise in the past. It's only been in the past decade or so that we've been encouraged to reduce the ridiculous amounts of cardio we have been ingrained to do, and to focus on our musculoskeletal systems, which play a MAJOR role in our health. As a result, perhaps step aside on this one, please, and allow us to encourage one another. Your comments are not helpful at all.

Ladies, pick up some weights. Get your protein requirements. There are plenty of resources out there to help you. You deserve to feel strong and resilient, and it's never too late to start.

Lucille, I'm wearing a BIG catchers mitt today. ;-)

Now that I know that, I think I'll enjoy watching your game :)

I'm sure they won't make a dent with Elmer, as he's repeatedly shown us who he is. But I can't help but encourage fellow women to focus on strength. It is so important to our healthspan. I'll be everyone's forever cheerleader in this department.

" But she doesn't ask me about meditation. "

Next time, you can ask rather than pretend you can figure out what's best for you.

Who I am, Mr. or Madam Feathers, is someone who's sensitive to people who are concerned enough about things (especially health) to want to know more or act on them but not concerned enough to get knowledgeable advice from people competent to give it that they have access to.

Did you miss the cite in the past week or two in this forum about a newspaper article (maybe NYTimes but I don't remember) with the headline something like "Message from doctors to patients regarding supplements - Please stop".

Ssshhhhh… Elmer… it’s time for bed now…

Feathers, I’m 100% in your corner on this subject. At 77, I consider myself much more fit than most my age, and even most 10-15 years younger. I attribute it to both good genes and the fact i work at it. By that I mean just about all of the same things you mention in your posts above. We regularly see our PCP for physicals which include extensive blood panels and a lengthy office visit to discuss the results and any concerns. He calls us among his healthiest patients. I’ve been weight training for around 24-30 yeaes (admittedly with some periods of time where I didn’t go to the gym often or work with a trainer). I also did a lot of running until my knees declared ’enough of that’ plus I’ve taking Pilates classes twice a week for around 20 years. My Pilates instructor is awesome. She is also a long distance runner and a big advocate of tracking nutrition for one’s health, to include added protein if needed, especially for building muscle mass.

I don’t think anyone will argue that the best way to get protein is from food sources such as dairy, eggs, certain veggies, chicken or fish, etc rather than a powder or a bottled drink. However the protein powders serve their purpose of providing a good source of that extra protein many need. And I’ll say it again, one size does not fit all. There are many parts and pieces to this and others have already touched on the considerations that must be taken into account. Another is added sugars. Like other food products you really have to check the labels. For me, having tried some protein powders I find I can’t use anything with soy and don’t tolerate pea protein well. I also need to be careful with too much protein after one blood test showed a little yellow flag for my creatinine level one year. Based on my PCP’s recommendation, I backed off the protein powder I was using at the time & that brought it back down the next time. I am currently using a half-dose protein drink (Promix mixed with a little milk and water) 1-3 times a week as needed when I haven’t been able to get my desired protein that day.

Beef and pork have become a rare meal for us. It seems like a heavy meal now to us. And we don’t miss it at all.

It has been published many times now that movement, whether walking, light exercise, or whatever the person is capable of doing, is good for arthritic joints and actually ’lubricates’ the joints naturally.

Sorry if this sort of rambled. Like a few others here, I am passionate about keeping one’s bones strong as we age, And learn about the things we can do to improve balance, our foot and body flexibility, our gait and other body mechanics and strength to hold off the effects of aging.

Lucille, thanks for posting the original article. It’s definitely important that those who use protein drinks on a regular basis should know about. Same for the similar cinnamon study.