How to Avoid Protein Powder Farts

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

This is a Dietitian’s guide on how to avoid protein powder farts.

Discover what causes protein powder farts and how to avoid this common side effect.

Last Updated
Jan 6, 2026

Author and Medical Reviewer

Written by Jack, Founder

Jack is the Founder of Drink Wholesome.

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

Kayla is a Registered Dietitian with a MS in Nutrition.

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

Protein Powder Farts

Does Protein Powder Make You Fart?

First of all, everyone farts.

Farting, or flatulence, is a natural bodily process driven by bacteria living in your large intestine.

These microorganisms produce gas as they break down undigested food, primarily dietary fiber and sugars that have bypassed your small intestine’s digestion process.

In case you were wondering, fats are primarily composed of odorless gasses like oxygen and methane.

But there can be trace amounts of smelly gasses like hydrogen sulfide, which contribute to the unpleasant odor often associated with flatulence.

Protein powder can make you fart.

In fact, protein powder makes so many people fart that there is such a thing as a protein powder fart.

Protein powder farts, also known as protein farts, are farts caused by protein powder.

They can be unpleasant for you and everyone around you, but can also be easily avoided.

Does Vegan Protein Powder Make You Fart?

Vegan protein powder, especially if it contains lots of fiber, can certainly make you fart.

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that your body cannot digest, and the more fiber you eat, the more you fart.

Does Protein Powder Make Your Farts Smell?

As you just learned, some gut bacteria (Salmonella, Escherichia, Fusobacterium, and others) produce sulfur-containing gasses known for their pungent “rotten egg” odor.

It follows that if your protein powder farts smell bad, your protein powder is either rich in sulfur, or you have an overgrowth of certain types of bacteria.

Here is a chart showing the range of sulfur amino acid concentrations in different protein powders.

As you can see, whey protein contains a lot of sulfur-containing amino acids, which explains why it tends to create the smelliest farts.

Why Does Protein Powder Make Me Fart?

Some people assume that protein powder farts are unavoidable, but this is not true.

Protein powder should not make you fart, and if it does, it is time to look for a new protein powder.

When you do, avoid food additives, dairy-based proteins, and protein concentrates and isolates.

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

Many emulsifiers, thickeners, and other additives are hard to digest.

And when you eat foods or ingredients that are hard to digest, you give the bacteria in your gut more time to eat (ferment) that food.

The fermentation that takes place in your gut is similar to the fermentation used to make Champagne.

The only difference is that instead of making delightful bubbles, gut fermentation produces gas that can cause bloating, flatulence, and stomach pain.

Regularly eating certain food additives can also alter the composition of your gut microbiome (the collection of microorganisms living in your gut) (North Clin Istanb, 2019).

This can lead to gut dysbiosis (Microorganisms, 2022), which is associated with excessive intestinal gas (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

As a rule of thumb, if you cannot 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, although not an issue for everyone, can cause digestive issues.

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

But 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.

🚫 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 includes the enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help your gut break them down.

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

Studies show that regularly eating protein concentrates and isolates might disrupt your gut microbiome (Nutrients, 2018) and cause the formation of toxic byproducts in your gut (Mol Nutr Food Res, 2024).

Individuals with pre-existing digestive issues should thus look for protein supplements made from whole food protein sources like egg whites and almonds, which are easier to digest and absorb.

Order Samples to see for yourself.

Sources

1. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2019.
2. Microorganisms (Microorganisms). Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis: Triggers, Consequences, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Options. 2022.
3. JGH Open: An Open Access Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (JGH Open). Gut microbiota dysbiosis in functional gastrointestinal disorders: Underpinning the symptoms and pathophysiology. 2021.
4. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
5. 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.

Editorial Guidelines

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