Caution about Rice Protein: Cancer Risk and Low Protein Quality

Rice protein is being marketed these days a high quality protein, and it is being presented as vegetarian as well, with the suggestion that vegetarian protein is somehow better for you.

Decide for yourself. Here is the summary, but it is important to read the full document.

The lab assay result for protein quality for the sample we tested shows low protein quality; the PDCAAS score was only about 50 compared to 100 for the whey protein isolate in UNJURY.
This rice protein is actually from China
The lab assay for toxic heavy metals for the sample we tested shows a high level of extremely toxic cadmium, over 12 times the maximum allowable daily dose level (MADL) in the State of California – even for just one serving per day.
Method:

We sent off a sample of rice protein from a large online seller to each of two respected independent labs– one to test for protein quality, and one to test for heavy metals. We chose two labs which an FDA official said the FDA itself uses.

First the bad news about rice protein, then the bad news:

The Bad News: Protein Quality is Low

The PDCAAS score – the widely accepted protein quality measure recommended by the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences – for the sample we tested calculated out to be about 53, maybe as low as 49.

That is half as much as the high quality whey protein isolate in UNJURY which gets a score of 100, the highest possible score.

Remember, that score tells you how much of the protein your body can use for building, the main role of protein.

The Bad News: The Level of Cadmium is Very High. Cadmium is an extremely toxic heavy metal that causes canceri.

The rice protein product we tested had 2075 PPB of Cadmium. One serving of that product gives you over 12 times the Maximum Allowable Dose Level in the State of California.

We also know that the statement of origin for this product is China, where there have been recent cases of high cadmium in rice itself. (Because rice is the number one staple food in China, the Chinese people have been quite upset.) So perhaps it isn’t as surprising that rice protein would have high cadmium as well, but it should be shocking.

Once again, this is why at UNJURY® Medical Quality Protein™ and OPURITY® China-Free® Vitamins, we say,

Trust is the First Ingredient®