Protein powders may contain high levels of lead and cadmium, with chocolate-flavored and plant-based products testing at the highest levels, a new report said.

A study conducted by the Clean Label Project found that cadmium and lead were found in many types of protein powders — with organic, plant-based and chocolate-flavored protein powders containing the highest levels of heavy metals.

Chocolate protein powders contained up to 110 times more cadmium than vanilla-flavored powders, according to the Clean Label Project report from Jan. 9. Photo: Christopher Polk/ Nearly half of some of the most popular protein powders have levels of heavy metals like lead that exceed government food safety regulations,