How to Find the Best Protein Powder for COPD Patients

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

This is a Dietitian’s guide on how to find the best protein powder for COPD patients.

Discover how to safely supplement your protein intake with COPD.

Last Updated
Jan 29, 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 for COPD Patients

Is Protein Powder Good for COPD Patients?

COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a chronic (long-term) respiratory condition that affects the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe.

It is also a progressive disease, meaning it worsens over time.

COPD is usually caused by long-term exposure to irritants that damage the lungs and airways.

The most common cause of COPD is smoking, including both active smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.

Prolonged exposure to irritants such as air pollution, chemical fumes, and dust can also contribute to the development of COPD.

The two main forms of COPD are chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Chronic bronchitis involves inflammation and narrowing of the airways, leading to a persistent cough, excess mucus production, and difficulty breathing.

Emphysema, on the other hand, involves damage to the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs, reducing their elasticity and impairing the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Note that while COPD cannot be cured, various treatments are available to manage symptoms, slow down the progression of the disease, and improve quality of life.

These may include medications such as bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids, pulmonary rehabilitation programs, oxygen therapy, and lifestyle changes.

Believe it or not, diet can play an important role in managing COPD for two reasons.

First of all, COPD patients have increased energy and protein needs.

According to the American lung association, breathing requires more energy for people living with COPD.

In fact, COPD patients might require up to 40% more calories than someone without COPD (Eur Respir J., 1993).

COPD also causes hypoxia – low levels of oxygen in body tissues – which inhibits protein synthesis.

Elevated protein intake is thus required to prevent muscle atrophy and maintain lung strength.

Recent recommendations suggest a daily intake of 1-1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for COPD patients, which is considerably higher than the 0.8 grams recommended for healthy adults (J Thorac Dis, 2019).

Second, COPD patients tend to not eat enough calories and protein.

The prevalence of malnutrition is high in COPD patients due to appetite loss associated with factors like inflammation, shortness of breath while eating, and loss of taste (Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis, 2018).

Together with increased nutritional needs, loss of appetite causes weight loss, muscle wasting, and other complications.

This is where protein powder can help.

Adding protein powder to your diet is an easy way to fill in gaps in your diet and ensure you are meeting your protein needs.

It can be added to smoothies, oatmeal, and other recipes, or mixed with just water to make protein shakes.

What Is the Best Protein Powder for COPD Patients?

Not all protein powders are created equal.

As long as you are eating a balanced diet – getting protein from a variety of sources – the type of protein supplement you use does not matter.

Ingredients do matter, however.

Many protein powders contain ingredients that might contribute to the progression of COPD.

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

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, and other additives can alter the composition of your gut microbiome (North Clin Istanb, 2019).

Over time, this can lead to gut dysbiosis, which has been linked to the progression of COPD (Gut, 2022).

Dysbiosis increases gut permeability, promotes the translocation of pathological bacteria, and alters immune and inflammatory pathways, all of which can exacerbate lung inflammation and dysfunction.

⚠️ 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 Protein Concentrates and Isolates

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 and cause the formation of toxic byproducts in your gut (Nutrients, 2018; Mol Nutr Food Res, 2024).

You 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. European Respiratory Journal (Eur Respir J). Weight loss in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 1993.
2. Journal of Thoracic Disease (J Thorac Dis). Nutritional support in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): an evidence update. 2019.
3. International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis). Prevalence of malnutrition in COPD and its relationship with the parameters related to disease severity. 2018.
4. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2019.
5. Gut (Gut). The gut microbiome: a key player in the complexity of COPD. 2022.
6. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
7. 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.