If you want to get stronger, you lift heavy weights. If you want to get bigger, you…also lift heavy weights. And eat a whole lot of strength training’s most hyped macronutrient: protein.
Don’t get me wrong. Protein’s macro cousins — carbohydrates and fats — play a big role in all this, too. But if you’re training for hypertrophy, your meals are probably centered around protein. And with good reason. To get you all the goods on protein powder benefits you need to know about if you’re aiming to crush those goals, I talked with Lisa Buckley, RD, LDN for her insights.
Protein Powder Benefits
First, let’s get a caveat out of the way: you’ll likely want most of your daily protein intake from whole foods rather than protein powder. Not that the powdered version is bad — it’s not. But because it’s stripped from its source into a mostly-protein concentrate, protein powder lacks some of the nutritional qualities a whole food source like tofu or chicken will have.
[Read More: How to Eat More Protein to Pack on Muscle Mass]
Now here’s the good news: Protein powder gives you all of the protein while omitting a lot of cholesterol or other dietary components you might want to avoid.
As a registered dietitian and licensed dietitian nutritionist who specializes in sports nutrition and weight management, Buckley has had plenty of firsthand experience helping clients fulfill their protein needs. In several of these cases, protein powder has been one of the go-to remedies she recommends.
Here’s why.
It Promotes Muscle Growth
You can strength train all you want, but if you’re not getting enough protein? You can kiss those potential gains goodbye. One of the most exciting benefits of protein is how it’s used by your body to make new muscle tissue to transform all your diligent strength training into layers of new lean muscle tissue. (1)
Protein supplements help promote that hypertrophy by giving you enough protein to build back your muscles stronger (and bigger) after breaking them down on the strength floor. (2)
[Read More: The Best Protein Powders for Men, Tested and Reviewed]
“Really, the core function of protein is to build and repair tissue,” explains Buckley. “During exercise, in particular, you basically tear the muscle, and then you need to build and repair it. Protein is essential for accomplishing that.”
It Increases Satiety and Reduces Cravings
Sure, combining resistance training with enough protein can help break out that extra muscle mass. But it’s not just about hypertrophy. Getting your fair share of this macro through protein powder also helps you feel fuller for longer. (3)
[Read More: Best-Tasting Protein Powders]
“Protein is able to help keep you satiated longer because of the hormones that it triggers,” explains Buckley. “These hormones signal to your brain that you’re full, which helps to reduce hunger, and usually results in you eating less food than you would have eaten if you didn’t have protein.” So, if you know you’ll be on the go and won’t get a chance for a snack, you might want to scoop some protein powder in that smoothie to help you stay satiated.
It Regulates Metabolism
One of the most popular claims about protein is that it increases your metabolism and that’s the reason it might help with weight maintenance or loss. Buckley cautions that while protein powder can help regulate blood sugar levels because protein helps with digestion, it’s a lot more nuanced than “boosting metabolism.” (4) Still, its role in digestion can help regulate metabolism.
[Read More: The Best Protein Powders for Weight Loss]
“We cannot really boost metabolism with protein because your metabolism is a complex system in the body,” Buckley explains. “Protein is just one of the many components that helps metabolism work properly. Protein is involved in digestion, and it’s also helpful with regulation of blood sugar levels. All of those things work together to curb hunger and cravings, but you cannot simply boost your metabolism with excess protein.”
It’s Convenient
Need a higher protein intake but don’t want to cook quite so much food? Protein powder is an easy way to ensure that you’re eating adequate levels. If you’re bulking or otherwise trying to put on muscle mass, there’s no need to shovel down quite so much whole food. Supplementing with protein powder can help you hit your intake goals, even on the go.
[Read More: The Ultimate Guide to Building Muscle in College]
“For athletes, it tends to be a little bit tougher to get enough protein because their needs are higher,” explains Buckley. “Many are eating somewhere around 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, and they can’t get it all from their diet [easily]. This is especially true with my collegiate athletes who are just busy in class. I absolutely recommend a protein supplement for them, and protein powder is very portable and super convenient for them.”
It’s Protein — Only Protein
Sometimes, you want to build muscle without putting on much of anything else. To get specific with your gains, you have to eat specifically, too. If you’re focused on weight management (even during a hypertrophy phase), you can use protein powder to help you achieve your goals without added sugar, sweeteners, or even other macros.
[Read More: The Best Protein Powders for Women, RDN Approved]
“If you’re looking for weight loss, you’re probably better off leaning toward a source of protein like protein powder that doesn’t have a lot of other stuff added to it,” Buckley explains. That said, you’ll want to make sure you’re getting enough of your other macros and plenty of micronutrients to stay holistic and healthy with your diet.
What Is Protein Powder?
Protein powder is precisely what its name implies — it’s a powdered form of protein that has been processed to maximize its protein content while stripping away most other components. There are different kinds of protein powder, depending both on where the protein is coming from and how it’s processed.
Types of Protein Powder
Dietary restrictions? No problem. There are plenty of protein powder options out there. Here are some you might want to consider.
Whey Protein
If your local smoothie shop offers a scoop of protein powder in your drink, chances are they’ve got whey protein on tap. Whey protein powder is a high-quality, dairy-derived protein source. What’s whey? It’s a byproduct that gets separated from milk when making cheese. To make the powder, some lactose and water are removed, leaving behind a high-protein, low-calorie powder that’s relatively easy for the body to absorb. (5)
Depending on whether you get your hands on whey concentrate, whey isolate, or whey hydrolysate, you’ll have slightly different levels of refinement, protein concentration per weight, and level of lactose. If you tend to get gassy from protein, isolate or hydrolysate may be better bets for you since they’re lower in lactose than whey concentrate.
Soy Protein
Soy protein is a complete protein derived from soybeans. By complete, we mean that it’s got all the essential amino acids you need to build those muscles. So yes, this vegan protein powder can do it all.
[Read More: The Best Protein Powders for Muscle Gain]
Because it’s plant-based and dairy-free, it is a frequent favorite of people who don’t consume animal products, or have difficulty digesting dairy products. It also contains more iron than whey protein due to the natural presence of iron in soybeans. (6)
Casein Protein
Like whey, casein is also produced from cow’s milk. It is usually isolated to make cheese, and it also functions similarly to cheese in your digestive system.
Casein protein is digested more slowly than whey, which makes it a popular overnight protein supplement. Its slow digestion may allow casein to enhance protein synthesis during sleep and inhibit muscle protein breakdown. (7)
Pea Protein
Pea protein is produced from split peas, and — like soy — it contains all nine of the essential amino acids that your body requires but can’t create by itself. However, it’s not a complete protein because it doesn’t have high enough quantities of all those amino acids to be considered such.
Still, if you’re looking for a plant-based alternative to soy protein, pea protein is relatively easy to digest, and also contains high levels of arginine, which has been associated with the release of growth hormone. (8)
Hemp Protein
Hemp is an up-and-coming choice of protein among plant-based gymgoers. Studies show that hemp protein can be a sufficient protein supplement for infants and young children, but is not as beneficial as soy protein due to its low levels of lysine, one of the three BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids). (9)
Egg White Protein
Egg white protein can be a favorable option if you have a sensitivity to dairy products, which include whey protein. Egg whites and whey both have very similar amino acid scores and high digestibility. (10)
[Read More: The Best Clean Protein Powders, RD-Approved and Expert-Tested]
One true drawback to egg white protein is that it skews a bit more expensive than some of the other protein powders.
Brown Rice Protein
Brown rice protein is another plant-based protein that you might find on shelves in the nutrition aisle. If you’re looking for a vegan protein option, you may want to consider giving brown rice protein a try. However, rice protein has low levels of essential amino acids (EEAs) and BCAAs compared with other protein sources. (11)
You might consider protein powder blends that mix brown rice, hemp, and pea protein powders to get yourself a more complete protein profile.
How Much Protein Do You Need?
While protein is an essential macronutrient for everyone, how much protein you need specifically is determined by individual factors — including what you choose to do with your spare time. Your activity level, age, and fitness goals will play a major factor in determining your recommended dietary allowance. (12)
“Populations get broken down by factors like age, stage of life, whether or not they’re athletes, if they’re pregnant, or if they’re breastfeeding,” Buckley explains regarding the factors that influence protein needs. “The average adult between 18 to 65 years old needs to get 0.8 to 1.0 grams [of protein] per kilo of body weight [per day]. Older adults need more protein to…help them preserve muscle. For athletes, it depends on the goals of each athlete. Regardless, 1.2 to 2.0 grams [of protein] per kilo [of body weight per day] is a range that we’ll usually give for athletes.”
To help you figure out a daily protein intake level that’s right for you, check out BarBend’s protein intake calculator.
Protein Intake Calculator
[Read More: The Big Guide to Muscle Hypertrophy]
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the questions we hear most often about protein powder.
Is it good to take protein powder every day?
If you’re sensitive to the type of protein powder you’re taking — indigestion with whey protein, anyone? — then you might want to scale it back. However, if you don’t have any specific allergy or uncomfortable reaction to the protein source, it seems safe for most people to take some sort of protein powder every day as a dietary supplement. Research suggests that for people without kidney problems, protein powder and a generally high-protein diet should be safe. (13)
That said, you’ll want to make sure that your protein is coming from a reliable source without cross-contamination. Check out BarBend’s guide to the question, “Is Too Much Protein Powder Bad for You?” for more.
Are there any side effects to protein powder?
Generally, the only side effects seem to be indigestion for some who are sensitive to lactose with whey protein. In other cases, protein consumers with dairy allergies have been known to experience acne flare-ups after beginning a regimen of whey protein supplementation. (14)
Which type of protein is best?
If you have no dietary restrictions or allergies, whey protein and egg white protein are among the proteins with the most favorable amino acid profiles for gaining muscle mass. Otherwise, listen to your body and go with options that mesh well with your digestive system (and your wallet). Be sure you’re getting enough complete protein, too, which you can accomplish by purchasing blends of vegan protein powders (or opting for soy protein).
Can protein powder replace food?
Supplements — including protein powder — tend to work best as an addition rather than a replacement. Protein powders strip away pretty much all nutrients except protein. But you need the whole-food nutrients (both macros like carbs and fats and the many micronutrients like minerals and vitamins) that protein powders don’t have. So, it’s typically recommended to get most of your protein intake from food and use protein powder as what it is — a supplement. (15)
Editor’s Note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. When starting a new training regimen and/or diet, it is always a good idea to consult with a trusted medical professional. We are not a medical resource. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional.
References
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- Murray-Kolb LE, Welch R, Theil EC, Beard JL. Women with low iron stores absorb iron from soybeans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Jan;77(1):180-4.
- Kim J. Pre-sleep casein protein ingestion: new paradigm in post-exercise recovery nutrition. Phys Act Nutr. 2020 Jun 30;24(2):6-10.
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- Pontes Tde C, Fernandes Filho GM, Trindade Ade S, Sobral Filho JF. Incidence of acne vulgaris in young adult users of protein-calorie supplements in the city of João Pessoa–PB. An Bras Dermatol. 2013 Nov-Dec;88(6):907-12.
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