Can Protein Powder Cause Gallstones?

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

Can protein powder cause gallstones?

This is a Certified Nutrition Coach’s guide on how to meet your protein needs without causing cholelithiasis (gallstones) or gallstone attacks.

Last Updated
Jul 21, 2026

Author and Medical Reviewer

Written by Jack, CNC

Jack is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Nutrition Coach.

Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice. Consult a licensed healthcare professional before making changes to your diet.

Protein Powder for Gallstones

Can Protein Powder Cause Gallstones?

Gallstones are hardened deposits that form inside your gallbladder – a small organ located under your liver that stores and releases bile.

Bile is a digestive fluid that helps you break down fats.

The medical term for having gallstones is cholelithiasis.

Most people (~80%) with cholelithiasis have no symptoms.

Gallstones can move and block bile flow, however, triggering painful side effects such as stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting.

The formation of gallstones is associated with metabolic risk factors, including obesity and insulin resistance.

Diets high in refined sugars and saturated fats and low in fiber might also increase risk.

Protein powder does not directly cause gallstones.

In fact, studies indicate that total dietary protein intake is not associated with gallstone formation, even in high-risk populations such as pregnant women (JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr, 2015).

Even though protein powder consumption itself is not a direct cause, it could still contribute indirectly to gallstone formation in certain situations.

• Rapid Weight Loss: High-protein diets and protein shakes and powders are often associated with rapid weight loss. This can increase the risk of gallstone formation because when the body burns fat quickly, the liver secretes extra cholesterol into bile.
• Artificial/Ultra-Processed Ingredients: Many protein powders contain emulsifiers, thickeners, and other ultra-processed additives. These ingredients might worsen digestive symptoms.
• Low Fiber Intake: If protein powders replace balanced meals, fiber intake might drop. This could lead to poor digestion and bile imbalances.

It is therefore important to be mindful of your protein powder intake, including both how you use it and what ingredients it contains.

What Is the Best Protein Powder for Gallstones?

Not all protein powders are created equal.

First of all, some research suggests that plant-based proteins can inhibit gallstone formation (Gastroenterol Res Pract, 2025)

So if you’re going to add protein powder to your diet, consider adding a plant-based option.

Some protein powders contain ingredients that have the potential to exacerbate gallstone attacks, however.

They might also cause long-term gut health problems, which might contribute to the formation of gallstones.

Among the top offenders are food additives and protein concentrates and isolates.

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, and other ultra-processed additives might alter the composition and function of your gut microbiome (North Clin Istanb, 2020).

These shifts, known as gut dysbiosis, might alter bile acid metabolism, cholesterol absorption, and the enterohepatic circulation – the recycling of bile acids between your liver and intestines (Pharmacol Ther, 2022).

All of these processes are mechanistically linked to cholelithogenesis (the formation of gallstones) (World J Gastroenterol, 2023).

Moreover, multiple studies demonstrate that shifts in gut microbial composition are associated with gallstone disease (Front Med (Lausanne), 2025).

⚠️ Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein shakes and powders:

• acacia fiber
• acacia gum
• acesulfame potassium
• artificial flavors
• ascorbic acid
• aspartame
• calcium carbonate
• carrageenan
• cellulose gum
• dextrin
• dicalcium phosphate
• dipotassium phosphate
• erythritol
• gellan gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• inulin
• locust bean gum
• maltitol
• maltodextrin
• mono- and diglycerides
• ‘natural’ flavors
• rice bran extract
• rice dextrin
• rice hulls
• rosemary extract
• silica
• silicon dioxide
• sodium alginate
• soluble corn fiber
• sorbitol
• soy lecithin
• sucralose
• sunflower lecithin
• tocopherols
• tricalcium phosphate
• xanthan gum
• xylitol
• zinc oxide

As a rule of thumb, if you cannot find it in nature or make it at home, it is probably a food additive.

🚫 Avoid Protein Concentrates and Isolates

You might also want to avoid protein concentrates and isolates.

Most protein shakes and powders are made from one or both of these ultra-processed protein sources, which have been mechanically and chemically stripped of everything but the protein.

This includes the enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help you break them down.

You therefore might not digest them in the same way that you do whole foods, which could affect your gut health.

For example, one study shows that regularly consuming protein concentrates and isolates might disrupt your gut microbiome (Nutrients, 2018).

Another study shows that it could cause the formation of toxic byproducts in your gut (Mol Nutr Food Res, 2024).

Although further research is needed, individuals with sensitive stomachs can play it safe by choosing protein shakes and powders made from minimally-processed protein sources like egg whites and almonds.

They might be more gut-friendly.

Order Samples to see for yourself.

Sources

1. JPEN. Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr). Dietary fat and protein intake are not associated with incident biliary sludge and stones during pregnancy. 2015.
2. American Journal of Epidemiology (Am J Epidemiol). Dietary protein and the risk of cholecystectomy in a cohort of US women: the Nurses’ Health Study. 2004.
3. Gastroenterology Research and Practice (Gastroenterol Res Pract). The Association Between Dietary Protein Intake and Gallstone Disease: A Case–Control Study. 2025.
4. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2020.
5. Pharmacology & Therapeutics (Pharmacol Ther). Bile acid metabolism and signaling, the microbiota, and metabolic disease. 2022.
6. World Journal of Gastroenterology (World J Gastroenterol). Gastrointestinal microbiome and cholelithiasis: Current status and perspectives. 2023.
7. Frontiers in Medicine (Front Med (Lausanne)). Advances in research on the role of gut microbiota in the pathogenesis and precision management of gallstone disease. 2025.
8. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
9. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (Mol Nutr Food Res). In Vitro Fermentation of Animal and Plant Protein Isolates by the Human Gut Microbiota Under High and Low Carbohydrate Conditions. 2024.

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This article was written by a Certified Nutrition Coach and reviewed by a Registered Dietitian. We rely on peer-reviewed research and trusted medical sources, and regularly update our content to ensure accuracy and clarity.