G Fuel has grown popular among esports practitioners. The energy formula is believed to optimize muscle function, increase concentration, and overall, improve the performance of gamers. However, there are concerns about whether the lead found in G Fuel can cause health issues.
Key Takeaways:
G Fuel won’t cause lead poisoning in most adults, but it can have harmful effects on children and women who are pregnant or nursing. It contains enough lead to warrant a warning label from California state regulations, which recommend keeping lead consumption per day below 0.5 micrograms.
In the rest of the article, I’ll address the issue of whether G Fuel is a health hazard with regard to lead poisoning. Read on to learn why G Fuel has warning labels and what those labels mean for consumers of the product.
What the Warning Label on G Fuel Products Means
The following warning can be read on G Fuel products:
“Consuming this product can expose you to chemicals including lead, which is known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.”
The warning label also contains this section: “Not recommended for children, pregnant or nursing women.”
I’ll show you why it is important to take these warning labels seriously.
Children Are at a High Risk of Lead Poisoning from G Fuel
Generally, individuals under eighteen years of age should not consume products with high-caffeine content. G Fuel, and any other energy drink, is one such product. This is according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
But there’s a bigger problem with kids taking G Fuel.
Even low blood levels of lead in children can cause the following adverse effects:
- Learning problems and lower intelligence
- Reduced attention span
- Increased antisocial behavior
As lead consumption increases, it causes more severe issues, including damage to multiple body systems.
Pregnant Women Are Susceptible to Lead Poisoning from G Fuel
Anything that increases blood lead level (BLL) in pregnant women should be avoided. This is because even minimal BLL in pregnant women is associated with a range of reproductive health problems, including:
- Premature delivery
- Stillbirths
- Abortion
- Gestational diabetes
- Low birth weight
Other lead poisoning issues in women are impaired menstruation and low libido.
Exposure to lead in parents, including women, can cause problems in embryo development, negatively affecting a newborn baby’s health and well-being.
According to the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), consumers should keep daily lead intake below 0.5 micrograms to avoid reproductive health issues. Any product that results in higher lead consumption is dangerous and should have a warning label.
Meanwhile, the FDA sets a limit of 8.8 micrograms for childbearing women.
G Fuel, therefore, poses a considerable risk for pregnant women.
G Fuel Products Do Not Lead to a Higher Risk of Cancer
Fortunately, the warning label on G Fuel products does not contain the phrase “cancer and.” The absence of the phrase shows that G Fuel products do not contain enough lead to cause cancer—a serious form of lead poisoning.
OEHHA recommends that the daily intake of lead be kept below 15 micrograms to avoid cancer. The lead in G Fuel products is below this recommendation.
Therefore, you can take a G Fuel product without worrying that it will increase your risk of getting cancer.
The relationship between lead and cancer has not been proven beyond doubt. Still, it’s comforting to know that, whichever the case, consuming G Fuel won’t give you cancer.
Lead Can Cause Reproductive Health Issues
According to OEHHA, daily consumption of more than 0.5 micrograms could lead to reproductive health issues in both men and women.
G Fuel products are required by law to have a warning label, showing that they contain lead levels that would violate the recommended daily intake of a maximum of 0.5 micrograms.
I have covered the adverse effects lead poisoning has on pregnant women, but men can also be affected by it. Lead poisoning can have the following effects on men:
- Infertility. Studies suggest that lead decreases sperm count in men, affects sperm morphology, and decreases the volume of ejaculation.
- Altered function of reproductive hormones. Exposure to lead has been shown to increase the levels of serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and serum follicular staining hormone (FSH).
It is certain that exposure to lead—whether as an occupational hazard or from one’s environment and food—causes reproductive health problems like infertility in men.
However, although the lead content in G-fuel goes over the limit stipulated by the OEHHA, it’s not clear that it has enough lead to cause lead poisoning in adults who aren’t pregnant or nursing.
Is G Fuel Safe?
The FDA daily lead intake limit for the general population is 12.5 micrograms, which is considerably higher than the limit set by California state regulations. Since G Fuel hasn’t been flagged by the FDA, we know it sits below this limit.
G Fuel is unlikely to have a harmful effect on adults as long as they stick to the recommended serving size of G Fuel energy formulas. However, children and pregnant women should avoid the product.
If you want to be extra safe, you should consult your doctor before taking the product. They will help you determine if you are particularly susceptible to lead, in which case you should avoid G Fuel.
If you want to completely avoid the risk, consider a safer alternative like this DIY natural energy drink. It has significantly lower lead levels, but it won’t have the same performance-boosting effect as a G Fuel product.
The Lead in G Fuel Comes From Natural Ingredients
If G Fuel knows that their products have enough lead to necessitate a warning, one might assume that the next logical step is simply to reduce lead levels.
However, it’s not that simple.
The G Fuel brand prides itself on a variety of natural ingredients that act as supplements. These are crucial to the function of the energy formula. Thanks to the natural ingredients, G Fuel helps you in the following ways:
- It reduces fatigue from repeated muscle contraction, which is bound to occur when gaming.
- It improves memory, concentration, and motor control.
- It improves your brain’s energy and ability to focus.
- It might improve muscle endurance.
Including natural ingredients in any product automatically comes with increased lead levels. This is because lead is one of the nutrients that plants absorb from the soil.
G Fuel products contain small amounts of lead. But, as discussed in this article, even such amounts can pose a lead poisoning risk for children and pregnant or nursing women.
Why California Added a Warning Label to G Fuel
Up till 2017, Gamma Labs—the company that manufactures G Fuel products—did not include a warning label on their products. The failure to warn consumers of potential health risks of products violates Proposition 65, a law passed in 1986 in California.
In 2017, in pursuit of the enforcement of Proposition 65, California’s Environmental Research Center (ERC) filed a lawsuit against Gamma Labs.
The ERC eventually won the lawsuit, resulting in a $118,500 settlement by Gamma Labs. In addition, Gamma Labs was to display the warning clearly and reasonably on all affected G Fuel products.
Thanks to this, consumers are now aware possible risks of G Fuel.
How Much Lead Is There in G Fuel
Neither the ERC nor Gamma Labs have made the specific amount of lead in G Fuel public.
All we know is that the level of lead in G Fuel is enough to exceed a daily intake of 0.5 micrograms, necessitating the warning about reproductive health.
At the same time, the level is not enough to exceed a daily intake of 15 micrograms a day.
G Fuel Is Not FDA Approved
Amid such uncertainty, we usually depend on FDA approvals for guidance on whether a product is safe.
However, G Fuel is not a drug. It’s a supplement. Supplements don’t need FDA approval before hitting the market.
G Fuel is not FDA-approved, and it doesn’t need to be. But it’s worth noting that the FDA monitors products in the market and hasn’t flagged G Fuel products.
Final Thoughts
Lead can cause various reproductive health issues in both men and women.
The risk of lead poisoning in pregnant women and children is quite high, which is why they should avoid taking G Fuel products. For adults who are not pregnant, the risk of lead poisoning goes down.
If you choose to take G Fuel, consult with your doctor just in case you’re susceptible to lead. Also, make sure you stick to the recommended daily servings.
