What is the best protein powder for elderly people?

Are you looking for the best protein powder for elderly people? Discover how to safely supplement elderly protein intake.

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Protein powder for elderly people

Is protein powder good for elderly people?

Elderly people need a high protein diet to curb the loss of muscle (sarcopenia) that comes with aging.

For someone trying to rebuild muscle mass after illness, injury, or a long hospital stay, eating lots of protein is especially important.

Muscle loss can affect strength and bone health, which in turn affects agility, balance, and the ability to perform simple, everyday tasks.

Aging bodies also process protein less efficiently and therefore need more of it.

Even healthy elderly people need more protein than their younger selves, but one-third of elderly people do not consume enough protein due to reduced appetite, dental issues, impaired taste or swallowing, and/or limited financial resources.

When paired with an inactive lifestyle, low protein intake increases the risk of deteriorating muscles, compromised mobility, and slower recovery from illness and injury.

It is thus safe to say that elderly people who consume more protein have better outcomes.

In fact, research confirms that protein supplementation can improve muscle mass and reduce the risk of sarcopenia in older adults.

How much protein do elderly people need?

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for elderly people is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

For elderly people with acute or chronic diseases, the RDA can reach 1.2 to 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight.

Even more protein, up to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight, could be needed for elderly people who are severely ill or malnourished.

Eating this much protein, even for someone without dietary restrictions, is challenging, however, which is where protein powder can help.

Adding a scoop of protein powder to a elderly person’s diet – whether in smoothies, oatmeal, or other recipes – is an easy way to boost his or her protein intake.

Note that research suggests protein supplements are most effective for older adults when consumed with a meal, as opposed to between meals, due to age-related changes in gastrointestinal mechanisms.

What is the best protein powder for elderly people?

Any type of protein powder (egg white, pea, whey, etc.) can help elderly people increase their protein intake.

In other words, as long as they are eating a balanced diet, there is no advantage to using one type of protein powder over another. Ingredients do matter, however.

Most protein powders are made with ingredients that can cause painful side effects and long term health problems.

Among these ingredients are food additives, dairy-based proteins, and protein concentrates and isolates.

Avoid food additives

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, sugar substitutes, and other additives can not only upset an elderly person’s stomach, but also alter the composition of his or her gut microbiome – the collection of microorganisms living in his or her gut.

This can lead to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut microbiota, which contributes to a wide range of chronic diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), obesity, type 1 diabetes, and colorectal cancer.

It is worth mentioning that with aging already comes a decrease in microbial diversity and shifts in the composition of the gut microbiome. It would be unfortunate to accelerate these changes by using a protein powder full of unhealthy additives.

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

Avoid dairy-based proteins

You should also avoid dairy-based proteins like whey and casein, which contain lactose, a sugar most adults cannot fully digest.

Keep in mind that you may 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

Steer clear of protein concentrates and isolates too.

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 to gut health.

In fact, research shows that regularly eating protein concentrates and isolates might disrupt your gut microbiome.

Basically, if you could not find an ingredient in nature or make it at home, it should not be in your protein powder. 

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Drink Wholesome is the best protein powder for elderly people.

Finding a protein powder free from food additives, dairy-based proteins, and protein concentrates and isolates is hard.

In fact, 99% of protein supplements contain one or more of these problematic ingredients, which is why we created Drink Wholesome.

We make the best protein shakes for elderly people because we use a short list of simple ingredients.

Our Ingredients

egg whites

coconut

vanilla

monk fruit

NOT Our Ingredients

• acacia gum

• acesulfame potassium

• artificial flavors

• carrageenan

• erythritol

• guar gum

• inulin

• maltodextrin

• 'natural' flavors

• silica

• soy lecithin

• sucralose

• xanthan gum

• xylitol

Note that instead of using protein concentrates or isolates, we use whole food protein sources like egg whites and almonds, which are easier to digest and absorb.

It follows that elderly people experience fewer digestive issues with our protein powder than with any other type of protein supplement. Order samples to see for yourself.