I personally didn't experience any "uptick" in metals with HPL, which has been the case for probably the majority. What I did find was a series of ugly used oil analysis with Valvoline Premium Blue Restore, which I shared, in an engine which was known to be utterly filthy.
Now, I have not been following the usage of Valvoline Restore and Protect closely, but has anybody used it in an application like the one I've linked and done a series of similar used oil analysis? A lot of the applications have been oil burners, where consumption slowed or stopped, but that doesn't necessarily mean the rest of the engine was full of deposits like that one was.
Also, oils like Redline, with higher levels of esters, often increase the concentration of certain metals as observed in used oil analysis. This is generally accepted as chelation, and not mechanical wear.