Customer Reviews

Muscle Milk-High Protein Shake Mix

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I threw mine out after reading this article in consumer reports. It may have been an isolated sample but its not worth the risk IMO

The samples of Muscle Milk Chocolate powder we tested contained all four heavy metals, and levels of three metals in the product were among the highest of all in our tests. Average cadmium levels of 5.6 µg in three daily servings slightly exceeded the USP limit of 5 µg per day, and the average lead level of 13.5 µg also topped the USP limit of 10 µg per day. The average arsenic level of 12.2 µg was approaching the USP limit of 15 µg per day, and the average for mercury was 0.7 µg, well below the USP's 15 µg-per-day limit. Three daily servings of Muscle Milk Vanilla Crème contained 12.2 µg of lead, exceeding lead limits, and 11.2 µg of arsenic. A fourth product, Muscle Milk Nutritional Shake Chocolate (liquid), provided an average of 14.3 µg of arsenic per day from three servings, approaching the proposed USP limit.

I've burned through many containers of Muscle Milk powder (only the original, not the Collegiate formula nor the Light formula). I like the results I got from it, but the only things you really need to know are:

1. WHICH FLAVORS TASTE GOOD?
2. WHERE SHOULD I BUY IT?

Here are the flavors I've tried, and how they rate:

Chocolate Milk - Great, my favorite. Do not confuse with "Chocolate" or "Chocolate Malt" (see below).
Chocolate Malt - It's ok. Not as good as I'd hoped, but drinkable.
Chocolate - Not great. Surprisingly, the fake chocolate flavor is just too strong. If you mix it with another flavor it becomes tolerable.
Cookies and Cream - Great, popular flavor, an easy first-time choice
Mocha Joe - Good if you like coffee (which I do), otherwise I expect you'd find it horrid
Strawberries and Cream - Very good, one of my favorites, but I wouldn't want it every day because you're gonna get the strawberry burps
Natural Fresh Strawberry - DO NOT BUY! I can only describe this flavor as like drinking strawberry mixed with fart. Yes, you read that right. Fart. I choked down a container of this only by mixing it in low amounts with other flavors. Since then I've avoided all the "Natural" products out of sheer terror (and disgust).

Where should you buy it:

I recommend The Vitamin Shoppe, 2.47 (or 2.48) lb container, via Amazon of course. The price, combined with shipping, was always lowest or among the lowest whenever I purchased.

As much as I LOVE this product,the amounts of cadmium and lead in it is just IN-EXCUSABLE! After reading the reply at their home website, the company totally dodged the question of WHY is that junk in there in the first place? As well as what they plan to do about it! Lead is extremely had to eliminate once in the body, yet Cytosport pretty much blows off the issue

After using this product for over three years I am now actively boycotting it and am telling everyone I know not to use it. Hopefully they will get the message....

I purchased the chocolate flavor. Despite stirring in vigorously and shaking it also in a jar - 2 different methods of testing it for how well it mixes -- it was still clumpy despite the claims that it mixes well. I found the chocolate taste okay mixed with water, but it does have a lingering aftertaste which I find unpleasant.

Moreover, a recent Consumer Reports/ ABC News investigation testing ingredients of Protein Drinks found this: ...The worst of the products tested was Muscle Milk Chocolate powder, which contained all four toxic metals; three of them at the highest levels of all products tested. Three daily servings of this particular brand and flavor contained an average of:

* 5.6 µg cadmium
* 13.5 µg of lead
* 12.2 µg of arsenic
* 0.7 µg of mercury

Read it for yourself here:
[...]

The samples of Muscle Milk Chocolate powder we tested contained all four heavy metals, and levels of three metals in the product were among the highest of all in our tests. Average cadmium levels of 5.6 µg in three daily servings slightly exceeded the USP limit of 5 µg per day, and the average lead level of 13.5 µg also topped the USP limit of 10 µg per day. The average arsenic level of 12.2 µg was approaching the USP limit of 15 µg per day, and the average for mercury was 0.7 µg, well below the USP's 15 µg-per-day limit. Three daily servings of Muscle Milk Vanilla Crème contained 12.2 µg of lead, exceeding lead limits, and 11.2 µg of arsenic. A fourth product, Muscle Milk Nutritional Shake Chocolate (liquid), provided an average of 14.3 µg of arsenic per day from three servings, approaching the proposed USP limit.

Cadmium raises special concern because it accumulates in and can damage the kidneys, the same organs that can be damaged by excessive protein consumption. And it can take 20 years for the body to eliminate even half the cadmium absorbed today.

Needless to say I'm stopping taking this.

So I bought this stuff to supplement my nutritional needs as a triathlete. I've had Muscle Milk in a carton that I bought from my local store, but this was my first try at the powder. I was trying to save some money but I think I'll go back to a more natural product. The container says to mix in two scoops, and the scooper in the container is HUGE, about the size of 1 1/2 shot glasses! But I did just as the thing said to do. There are two things I really dislike about Muscle Milk: With two scoops, it tasted strange and I got some bad intestinal gas. After cutting back to one scoop I didn't have the gas problem but it still tasted odd. After reading the label closely (which I admittedly should've done before buying it) I found that it has artificial sweetener in it. I would prefer natural, unprocessed sugar instead. I'm really careful about what goes into my body and I won't be buying this stuff unless they start using real sugar. As an athlete my body can process sugar just fine, but artificial, chemical, and processed items have no place for me.

See July 2010 Consumer Reports magazine (page 27) re heavy metals - lead, arsenic and cadmium - in Muscle Milk.

Do your research before ingesting. I recommend egg whiles as safer protein with all the aminos.

The July 2010 Consumer Reports found high levels of Lead and Cadmium in this. This is near poisonous! Stay the heck away from this unless you want to poison your self.

Muscle Milk has been one of my favorites, but some of the levels of heavy metals concerning. Consumer Reports July 2010 issue reported that Muscle Milk exceeded the USP levels of cadmium and lead, and also had arsenic and mercury. I will most likely choose another from now on.

Vanilla flavor: The taste of Muscle milk natural vanilla doesn't taste much like vanilla to me. Hardly even a hint of it. The powder mixes really well with liquids and tastes fine with milk but nothing to rave about. I probably won't order this product again.

Strawberry: I can't quite describe how this stuff tastes but to me it is awful. It's almost a chemical taste. I haven't tasted the "regular" (non-natural) strawberry so I can't compare it to this stuff but I won't be buying muscle milk natural strawberry flavor again. I tried mixing this stuff with water, milk and even orange juice and it never tasted good or even drinkable. One positive thing I can say about this product is that it mixes easier than any protein powder i've used yet. To be fair I must say I haven't tasted many other strawberry flavored protein powders that tasted GREAT so maybe my palette is to blame.

This stuff really does the trick. I've only been using it for about a month and I've noticed more bulk and I've lost about 6 pounds of fat already. The major plus to the Mocha Latte flavor is that if you mix 2 scoops of it with a cup of black coffee, it tastes awesome! And it mixes extremely well with coffee. Almost no stirring. I definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to lose pounds of fat WHILE adding muscle. Don't get me wrong as it is NOT a miracle worker. My results stem from 1 shake a day plus a healthy diet added to about 30 minutes of cardio workouts and 30 more minutes of weight training. Do that every day and I guarantee you'll see results too.