Stiftung Warentest examines protein powder: organic products do poorly - these are the winners

Protein powder tested by Stiftung Warentest. Some of the protein powders are of poor quality - but there are also winners and surprises.

• Stiftung Warentest examined 21 protein powders .
• Known protein powders from Dm, Foodspring, Weider, Rossmann or Decathlon were tested.
• The result shows that half of the products are OK - but still with a tick.

Berlin - protein powder should let the muscles grow. At least that's what many manufacturers promise. For this reason, Stiftung Warentest took a closer look at 21 protein powders and checked them for their benefits but also for their quality . The conclusion of the test results is anything but sporty, as RUHR24.de * reports.

Protein powder tested by Stiftung Warentest - quality and benefits under the microscope

Protein powders are no longer just something for bodybuilders and fans of weight training. Recreational athletes or those who want to lose weight always use the protein powders . And these are now also available in every supermarket.

But do athletes really need such protein shakes to grow or maintain their muscles? The consumer magazine Stiftung Warentest investigated this question and examined 21 different brands with the vanilla flavor .

Protein powder from Dm, Rossmann, ESN and Co. tested by Stiftung Warentest

The focus of the test was the benefit of the protein powder and the quality of the nutritional supplements. In addition, the protein preparations were checked for harmful substances and for prohibited anabolic steroids . The brands of the protein powders examined for the April issue of Stiftung Warentest included:

• Dm : Sportness protein 90 shake (6.45 euros for 300g)
• Multipower : 100% Pure Whey Protein (25.00 euros for 900g)
• ESN : Premium Grade Designer Whey Protein (22.90 euros for 1000g)
• Rossmann : Wellmix Sport Protein 90 (17.00 euros for 900g)
• Power System : Protein 90 for more muscle mass (15.00 euros for 660g)
• Weider: Protein 80 Plus (16.00 euros for 500g)
• Decathlon : Isolate Whey Protein (20.00 euros for 900g)
• Foodspring : Whey Protein (30.00 euros for 750g)
• Maxi Nutrition : Whey Protein Pro (12.00 euros for 390)

A scientific report was also drawn up on three vegan organic products . And here the result was particularly terrifying .

Stiftung Warentest: Bio-quality protein powder performs particularly poorly

Because, as the laboratory at Stiftung Warentest found out, all organic protein powders are heavily contaminated. The testers found substances harmful to health such as nickel , mineral oil or aluminum in the protein powders from Bio Planète, Pur Ya and Raab.

With regular use of the protein shakes, the substances can accumulate in the organs, impair reproduction or damage the nervous system.

Protein powder from Rossmann falls through the test by Stiftung Warentest

The clear loser in the test , however, is the protein powder from the drugstore Rossmann . Here, the only 3 - MCPD was detected in the test.

This is a pollutant that unfortunately can often arise during the processing of vegetable fats, but which is suspected of being carcinogenic and harmful to reproduction . Stiftung Warentest, who recently examined honey in a test *, therefore advises against eating a total of four protein powders .

Stiftung Warentest: These protein powders are "OK"

But there are not only negative results in the Stiftung Warentest test . After all, all protein powders tested passed the doping test : the prohibited anabolic steroids were not detected in any product.

How do you recognize a good # protein powder? https://t.co/Ca6ZTiL6oj

In addition, a total of eleven of the products examined by Stiftung Warentest were rated "OK". These include the protein preparations from Dm , ESN , Multipower or Weider . Their protein quality was consistently rated " very good ". And in the taste test they all scored " good ".

Protein powder in check: who is the test winner at Stiftung Warentest?

Six protein powders, on the other hand, received points deduction because of their poor labeling. According to Stiftung Warentest, Foodspring powder, for example, raises false expectations regarding the aroma . The packaging promises "real vanilla", but a look at the list of ingredients shows that there is hardly anything in it. The consumer magazine gave it grade 5.

The result of Stiftung Warentest shows that protein powder is usually superfluous.

© Franziska Gabbert / dpa

Which protein shake did the best in terms of " benefits "? After all, that's what it's all about: The muscles should grow. But here the motivated athlete is unfortunately disappointed: Stiftung Warentest does not make a final judgment here , since the suitability of the powders differs greatly depending on the target group, so that no summary rating was given by the consumer magazine.

Conclusion from Stiftung Warentest: protein powders are superfluous

However, Stiftung Warentest draws a different conclusion with regard to the benefits of the protein powder : protein shakes are simply superfluous for the normal Otto consumer and the recreational athlete .

And even top athletes rarely have to resort to nutritional supplements, says nutritionist Professor Helmut Heseker to the consumer magazine . And further: As a rule, both recreational and competitive athletes ingest normal protein with significantly more protein than they need.

"We well-nourished Western Europeans primarily need exercise so that muscles grow," says Helmut Heseker. The protein powder can therefore be saved in most cases and preferred to pay attention to a balanced diet , according to the scientist.

Instead of using protein powder, prefer to use natural protein

The content of the protein powder mainly consists of protein , which was obtained from milk, eggs, soybeans or lupine, for example. The whole thing is then mixed with water or milk - and the protein shake is ready. By the way: Whey is nothing more than a marketing word for Helmut Heseker, which means something like whey protein - a protein from milk.

Instead of being in powder form, you can also eat it naturally in the form of certain foods. Because some foods contain a lot of animal or vegetable protein :

• 200g beef steak contains 42g protein
• Or 125g tuna with 27g protein
• Chickpeas score at 100g with 19g protein
• And peanuts with 9g vegetable protein to 30g
• 150g curd convinces with 19g protein and
• a serving of peas (150g) with 11g protein.

So if you want to do without protein powder and protein shakes in the future, you can easily vary your meal plan a bit and ingest enough protein. According to the European Food Safety Authority, the need for non-athletes is around 50g per day, for recreational athletes who are active 4 to 5 times a week, the approximate value also applies: 0.8 grams per kilo of body weight.

These figures are roughly confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, opinions differ here and some sports or nutritionists assume that an increased intake is definitely recommended, especially for sporty people. love

* RUHR24.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network

Rubric list picture: © Christin Klose / dpa, collage: RUHR24