How to Avoid Extreme Stomach Pain After Protein Shake

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

This is a Certified Nutrition Coach’s guide on how to avoid extreme stomach pain after drinking a protein shake.

Discover how to meet your protein needs without upsetting your stomach.

Last Updated
Mar 28, 2026

Author and Medical Reviewer

Written by Jack, CNC

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

Medically reviewed by Brittany, MS, RD and Jenn, PA-C

Brittany is a Registered Dietitian with a MS in Nutrition.

Jenn is a Physician Assistant with a BA in Nutritional Sciences.

Extreme Stomach Pain After Protein Shake

Can Protein Shakes Cause Extreme Stomach Pain?

Yes, protein shakes can cause extreme stomach pain.

In fact, protein shakes can cause a number of gastrointestinal (GI) side effects, including bloating, constipation, cramps, diarrhea, gas, nausea, and stomach pain.

The severity of these symptoms can vary from person to person, and from mild to extreme.

In most cases, symptoms last for only a few hours, but some people have reported feeling sick for days after drinking a single protein shake.

How Do I Stop Stomach Pain From a Protein Shake?

If you just drank a protein shake and are experiencing stomach pain, try these remedies:

1. Hydrate. Drink plenty of water, especially if your stomach pain is due to constipation.
2. Eat ginger. Ginger tea, ginger ale, and even fresh ginger can help soothe stomach pain.
3. Drink peppermint. Peppermint tea can help relax muscles and allow painful gas to pass.
4. Use over-the-counter medication. Over-the-counter medications such as antacids, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen may help relieve digestive discomfort. Always follow the recommended dosage.
5. Try heat therapy. Applying a heating pad or hot water bottle to your abdomen can help relax muscles and relieve cramps.
6. Rest. Stress and anxiety can worsen stomach pain. Practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or yoga to help calm your mind and body.
7. Consult a trusted healthcare professional. If your stomach pain is severe, persistent, or accompanied by other symptoms such as fever, vomiting, or bloody stools, seek medical attention promptly. It could be a sign of a more serious condition that requires professional diagnosis and treatment.

Although the tips above can help relieve protein shake stomach pain, the best course of action is to learn how to avoid it in the first place.

Why Do Protein Shakes Cause Extreme Stomach Pain?

Protein shakes cause extreme stomach pain because they contain ingredients that are hard to digest.

Some of the most problematic ingredients include food additives, dairy-based proteins, and protein concentrates and isolates.

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

Emulsifiers, thickeners, and other ultra-processed additives are hard to break down.

For this reason, they feed your gut bacteria, which release gas as they eat.

And too much intestinal gas can cause bloating and stomach pain.

Regularly eating certain food additives can also alter the composition of your gut microbiome – the collection of microorganisms living in your digestive tract (North Clin Istanb, 2020).

These shifts, known as gut dysbiosis, have been linked to a number of painful digestive issues (JGH Open, 2021).

⚠️ Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein supplements:

• 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

Also note that as a rule of thumb, if you could not find it in nature or make it at home, it is probably a food additive.

🚫 Avoid Dairy-Based Proteins

Dairy-based proteins like whey and casein can cause stomach pain, although not for everyone.

This is usually because they contain lactose, a sugar many individuals cannot fully digest.

Lactose is a milk sugar that requires the enzyme lactase to be broken down.

Many adults produce less lactase as they age, leading to lactose intolerance.

That said, you might be sensitive to dairy-based proteins even if you are not lactose intolerant.

This is particularly true for casein protein, which forms a gel-like substance in your stomach that slows down digestion (Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2023).

🚫 Avoid Protein Concentrates and Isolates

If you have a sensitive stomach, you might also want to avoid ultra-processed protein concentrates and isolates.

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

This processing removes enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help your gut break down the protein.

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

For example, studies show that regularly eating protein concentrates and isolates might disrupt your gut microbiome (Nutrients, 2018).

It might also cause the formation of toxic byproducts in your gut (Mol Nutr Food Res, 2024).

Individuals with pre-existing digestive issues should look for protein supplements made from whole food protein sources like egg whites and almonds.

They are more gut-friendly.

Order Samples to see for yourself.

Sources

1. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2020.
2. Microorganisms (Microorganisms). Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis: Triggers, Consequences, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Options. 2022.
3. JGH Open (JGH Open). Gut microbiota dysbiosis in functional gastrointestinal disorders: Underpinning the symptoms and pathophysiology. 2021.
4. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr). Milk proteins: Processing, gastric coagulation, amino acid availability and muscle protein synthesis. 2023.
5. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
6. 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.