How to Find the Best Protein Powder for COPD Patients

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

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

Discover how to safely meet your protein needs while managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Last Updated Aug 18, 2026

Author and Medical Reviewer

Jack, CNC

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

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Disclaimer: This communication is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice.

Protein Powder for COPD Patients

Is Protein Powder Good for COPD Patients?

Protein powder can be a great option if you have COPD and struggle to meet your daily protein needs.

COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a long-term lung condition that makes it hard to breathe.

It is also progressive, which means it tends to worsen 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 or exposure to secondhand smoke.

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

While COPD cannot be cured, many treatments can help manage symptoms, slow the disease, and improve quality of life.

These treatments may include medications, pulmonary rehabilitation programs, oxygen therapy, and lifestyle changes.

Diet can also play an important role in managing COPD.

COPD is accompanied by chronic systemic inflammation, elevated resting energy expenditure, and increased protein turnover, all of which promote significant weight loss and muscle loss (J Thorac Dis, 2019).

In order to prevent sarcopenia (gradual loss of muscle mass and strength), COPD patients might need to consume extra protein.

The recommendation for malnourished patients is 1.5-1.7 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, which is considerably higher than what is recommended for most adults (Cochrane, 2025). 

It is worth adding that even in mild-to-moderate disease, a substantial proportion of patients fail to meet their protein requirements (Lung, 2026).

For these reasons, protein powder can be a very helpful addition to the diet.

It can be mixed with just milk or water to make a shake, or added to smoothies, oatmeal, and other recipes.

This convenience and versatility is hard to beat, and can easily help someone with COPD fill in gaps in their diet.

That said, not all protein powders are created equal.

What Is the Best Protein Powder for COPD Patients?

As long as you are eating a balanced diet – getting protein from a variety of sources – any type of protein shake or powder can help you meet your total daily protein needs.

But ingredients do matter.

Many protein shakes and powders contain ingredients that might indirectly contribute to painful side effects and even the progression of COPD.

Among the top offenders are artificial and ultra-processed food additives.

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, and other ultra-processed additives can alter the makeup of your gut microbiome – the community of microbes living in your digestive tract (North Clin Istanb, 2020).

Over time, these shifts, known as gut dysbiosis, might contribute to the progression of COPD (Front Immunol, 2026).

Growing research suggests that an imbalance in gut bacteria can worsen lung inflammation and other symptoms throughout the body (Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 2023)

It is important to note that much of this research is still emerging, so more studies are needed to clarify these relationships.

That said, the preliminary findings suggest that because protein shakes and powders are something you consume regularly, if not every day, the cumulative effects of small amounts of potentially harmful ingredients is worth taking seriously.

⚠️ 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

I also recommend avoiding 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/or 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, you can play it safe by choosing protein shakes and powders made from minimally-processed protein sources like egg whites and almonds.

Our customers find them to be more gut-friendly.

Order Samples to see for yourself.

Sources

1. Journal of Thoracic Disease (J Thorac Dis). Nutritional support in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): an evidence update. 2019.
2. Cochrane Library (Cochrane). Multimodal interventions for cachexia management. 2025.
3. Lung. Energy and Protein Intake in Mild-Moderate COPD Patients. 2026.
4. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (Am J Respir Crit Care Med). The Bidirectional Gut-Lung Axis in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. 2023.
5. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2020.
6. Frontiers in Immunology (Front Immunol). The gut-lung axis in COPD: immunomodulatory roles of gut microbiota and novel therapeutic strategies. 2026.
7. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
8. 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 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.