A research project led by the University of La Laguna has conducted a pioneering study analyzing, for the first time on a large scale, the presence of essential and potentially toxic elements (EPTs) in plant-based protein supplements (PBS) marketed in Europe. A total of 56 supplements purchased from gyms, pharmacies, supermarkets, and specialty stores were examined.<\/p>\n
This study<\/a>, published in the magazine Journal of trace elements in medicine and biology<\/em>, has been carried out by member researchers of the Research Group in Environmental Toxicology and Food and Pharmaceutical Safety<\/a> from the University of La Laguna, such as Elena Bethencourt-Barbuzano, Katarzyna Siedzik, Dailos Gonz\u00e1lez-Weller<\/a>, Soraya Paz-Montelongo<\/a>, Angel J. Gutierrez<\/a>, Arturo Hardisson<\/a> y Carmen Rubio<\/a>, who have made key contributions to this food safety assessment. Also noteworthy is the participation of researchers from the Complutense University of Madrid, the University of Krakow, and the University of Gdansk.<\/p>\n This analysis arises within a context of accelerated growth in the market for dietary supplements and plant-based diets. Globally, powdered dietary supplements reached a value of $20 billion in 2023, and the food sector is estimated to reach $177.5 billion by 2030, driven by a sustained increase in interest in alternative foods. Among the reasons for this increased demand are the growth in the number of vegetarians and vegans and the increased consumption of protein products by the general population.<\/p>\n These supplements contain essential elements such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, chromium, and molybdenum, all necessary for proper physiological function. However, the presence of metals considered toxic and potentially toxic (lead, cadmium, nickel, aluminum, strontium, barium, boron, and vanadium) has also been detected. Although the concentrations of these elements are low, researchers warn that the risk depends on the amount consumed, especially in people who ingest doses higher than those recommended by the manufacturers.<\/p>\n To assess actual exposure to these elements, the team analyzed three consumption scenarios: the usual recommended intake of 30 g\/day, a high intake of 60 g\/day, and an excessive intake of 100 g\/day. According to the results, a daily intake of 30 grams does not exceed the tolerable intake limits established by international organizations, for both essential nutrients and toxic elements. On the other hand, when daily intakes of 60 or 100 grams are reached, some elements may exceed the intake levels considered safe.<\/p>\n In the case of molybdenum, excessive consumption could exceed the recommended intake by up to 2501 TP3T, while for iron, it could exceed the recommended intake by 1201 TP3T for men and postmenopausal women. Furthermore, the study also concludes that women consuming 100 grams daily of the analyzed supplements could exceed the recommended levels of copper and magnesium.<\/p>\n The research team also assessed the risk associated with lead, one of the most concerning metals from a health perspective. To study lead exposure, they used the Margin of Exposure (MOE) method, which relates estimated intake to reference levels associated with adverse effects. The results showed that consuming these supplements, even under the most extreme scenarios, would yield an MOE greater than 1, which is considered a low health risk. However, the authors of this study emphasize that this margin could be reduced if the supplements are combined with other dietary sources of lead or if higher amounts than those analyzed are ingested.<\/p>\n The study also highlights significant differences in the concentration of essential and toxic elements depending on the protein source of the supplement. Samples based on soy, peas, or other plant sources showed statistically significant variations in elements such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, and zinc, as well as in several potentially toxic elements. This suggests that the botanical origin and industrial processes play an important role in the final mineral profile of these products.<\/p>\n Finally, the study highlights that, while plant-based protein supplements are a sustainable nutritional alternative and offer benefits when consumed appropriately, they can also become a source of unintentional exposure to toxic metals. Therefore, it underscores the need to strengthen quality controls, harmonize regulatory criteria, and promote responsible consumption. The increasing use of these products, not only among vegetarians and vegans but also among athletes and occasional consumers, makes health monitoring essential to ensuring food safety.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A research project led by the University of La Laguna has carried out a pioneering study that analyzes, for the first time\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":4298,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,284,20,37,10],"tags":[1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975],"class_list":["post-4297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destacado","category-facultad-de-farmacia","category-facultades-y-escuelas","category-investigacion","category-portada-ull","tag-angel-j-gutierrez","tag-arturo-hardisson","tag-carmen-rubio","tag-dailos-gonzalez-weller","tag-elena-bethencourt","tag-katarzyna-siedzik","tag-metales","tag-proteinas","tag-seguridad-alimentaria","tag-soraya-paz-montelongo"],"acf":[],"primary_category":null,"featured_image_thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/www.ull.es\/portal\/noticias\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/proteinas-300x200.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ull.es\/portal\/noticias\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ull.es\/portal\/noticias\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ull.es\/portal\/noticias\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ull.es\/portal\/noticias\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ull.es\/portal\/noticias\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ull.es\/portal\/noticias\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ull.es\/portal\/noticias\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ull.es\/portal\/noticias\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ull.es\/portal\/noticias\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ull.es\/portal\/noticias\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}