How to Find the Best Protein Powder for Diabetics

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

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

Discover how to safely supplement your protein intake with diabetes.

Last Updated
Jan 13, 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 Diabetics

Protein consumption also plays an important role in improving insulin sensitivity (Eur J Nutr, 2021).

By incorporating protein into your diet, you enhance your body’s responsiveness to insulin, which is crucial for regulating blood glucose levels effectively.

Protein intake stimulates the release of glucagon, a hormone that counteracts the effects of insulin, which helps prevent blood glucose spikes and contributes to better overall glycemic control (J Diabetes Investig, 2023).

Moreover, eating protein promotes satiety, making you feel full for longer.

This can be particularly advantageous for individuals who struggle with cravings or overeating.

Muscle Growth and Repair

Without adequate protein intake, you cannot build and repair muscles.

This matters in the context of diabetes for two reasons: 1) diabetics can experience muscle wasting due to insulin resistance and 2) people with more muscle have higher metabolisms and burn more calories (Diabetol Metab Syndr, 2023).

Incorporating protein into your meals and snacks can thus help ensure that you are staying strong and managing your body weight.

Other Health Benefits

Protein plays a crucial role in supporting heart health, making it an essential part of a balanced diet for diabetics.

For example, protein consumption can contribute to improved lipid profiles, including lower levels of LDL cholesterol (commonly referred to as “bad” cholesterol) and higher levels of HDL cholesterol (known as “good” cholesterol).

According to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, increasing your dietary protein intake can lead to a reduction in the risk of developing coronary heart disease (Circulation, 2010).

A diet rich in protein has also been associated with lower blood pressure levels (Int J Angiol, 2010).

Protein plays a role in various physiological processes, including the synthesis of nitric oxide, a compound known for its vasodilatory effects.

By promoting the relaxation of blood vessels, adequate protein consumption may support improved blood flow and help regulate your blood pressure.

How Much Protein Do Diabetics Need?

What Is the Best Protein Powder for Diabetics?

Many protein powders are made with ingredients that are not suitable for diabetics.

Among these ingredients are added sugars, food additives, and protein concentrates and isolates.

Avoid Added Sugars

Diabetics should avoid protein powders with lots of Added Sugars, as they can trigger spikes in blood glucose.

Naturally occurring sugars like those found in fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, are safe to eat.

There is no link between natural sugar consumption and diabetes (PLoS Med, 2017).

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

Diabetics should also avoid food additives.

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, and other additives can not only upset your stomach, but 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, or an imbalance in gut bacteria, which is linked to the development of Type 2 diabetes, as well as reduced efficacy of diabetic medications (Microorganisms, 2022; Diabetes; World J Methodol, 2022).

Although the exact mechanisms by which this happens are still unknown, it is thought that gut dysbiosis increases intestinal permeability and inflammation, causing abnormalities in glucose metabolism and signaling events that contribute to insulin homeostasis.

⚠️ 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

It is worth adding that artificial sweeteners are one of the most problematic food additives for diabetics.

Not only have several studies shown that artificial sweeteners may increase cravings toward sugary and sweet foods, but researchers have also found a link between the consumption of artificial sweeteners and a higher risk of glucose intolerance, which is a precursor for pre-diabetes and diabetes (Yale J Biol Med, 2010; Nature, 2014)).

🚫 Avoid Protein Concentrates and Isolates

Finally, steer clear of protein concentrates and isolates.

Most protein supplements are made from protein concentrates and isolates, which have been mechanically and/or chemically stripped of everything but the protein, including the enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help you break them down.

Your digestive system therefore does not digest them in the same way that it does whole foods, which can affect everything from satiety (you feel less full) to gut health.

Moreover, while extremely high-protein foods like these are low on the glycemic index, they can measure high on the insulin index.

As a result, they can cause hyperinsulinemia (abnormally high levels of insulin) because eating large amounts of protein without fats, carbs, fiber, etc. has an insulinotropic effect (it promotes insulin secretion) (J Funct Foods, 2014; Eur J Clin Nutr, 2014).

Sources

1. Nutrients (Nutrients). The Effect of a Diet Moderately High in Protein and Fiber on Insulin Sensitivity Measured Using the Dynamic Insulin Sensitivity and Secretion Test (DISST). 2017.
2. European Journal of Nutrition (Eur J Nutr). Effect of the intake of dietary protein on insulin resistance in subjects with obesity: a randomized controlled clinical trial. 2021.
3. Journal of Diabetes Investigation (J Diabetes Investig). Robust increase in glucagon secretion after oral protein intake, but not after glucose or lipid intake in Japanese people without diabetes. 2023.
4. Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome (Diabetol Metab Syndr). Causal relationship between insulin resistance and sarcopenia. 2023
5. Circulation (Circulation). Major dietary protein sources and risk of coronary heart disease in women. 2010.
6. The International Journal of Angiology (Int J Angiol). Antihypertensive effects of dietary protein and its mechanism. 2010.
7. Current dDabetes Reports (Curr Diab Rep). Protein content in diabetes nutrition plan. 2011.
8. Diabetes Care (Diabetes Care). 5. Facilitating Positive Health Behaviors and Well-being to Improve Health Outcomes: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2025. 2025.
9. European Journal of Nutrition (Eur J Nutr). The effects of dietary protein on physical performance and body composition in middle age and older people having type II diabetes mellitus: a randomized pilot study. 2025.
10. PLoS Medicine (PLoS Med). Fresh fruit consumption in relation to incident diabetes and diabetic vascular complications: A 7-y prospective study of 0.5 million Chinese adults. 2017.
11. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2019.
12. Microorganisms (Microorganisms). Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis: Triggers, Consequences, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Options. 2022.
13. World Journal of Methodology (World J Methodol). Gut microbiota interactions with anti-diabetic medications and pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. 2022.
14. The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine (Yale J Biol Med). Gain weight by “going diet?” Artificial sweeteners and the neurobiology of sugar cravings: Neuroscience 2010. 2010.
15. Nature (Nature). Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota. 2014.
16. Journal of Functional Foods (J Funct Foods). Nutritional composition, anti-nutritional factors, pretreatments-cum-processing impact and food formulation potential of faba bean ( L.): A comprehensive review. 2014.
17. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Eur J Clin Nutr). High dietary protein intake, reducing or eliciting insulin resistance? 2014.

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.