How to Find the Best Protein Powder for Elderly People

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

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

Discover how to safely supplement your protein intake as an elderly person.

Last Updated
Feb 2, 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 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 (Contemp Clin Trials, 2017).

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 (Exp Gerontol, 2022).

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 (Food Funct, 2016).

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 (Clin Nutr ESPEN, 2021).

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 and protein concentrates and isolates.

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, other ultraprocessed additives can not only upset your stomach, but also alter the composition and function of your gut microbiome (North Clin Istanb, 2019).

These shifts, known as gut dysbiosis, contribute to a wide range of chronic diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), obesity, type 1 diabetes, and colorectal cancer (J Exp Med, 2019).

It is worth mentioning that with aging already comes a decrease in microbial diversity and shifts in the composition of the gut microbiome (Transl Res, 2020).

It would be unfortunate to accelerate these changes by consuming protein powder full of ultra-processed 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

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

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

You should therefore 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. Contemporary Clinical Trials (Contemp Clin Trials). Design of a randomized trial to determine the optimum protein intake to preserve lean body mass and to optimize response to a promyogenic anabolic agent in older men with physical functional limitation. 2017.
2. Experimental Gerontology (Exp Gerontol). Effects of whey protein supplementation on sarcopenia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022.
3. Food & Function (Food Funct). Dietary protein intake and human health.. 2016.
4. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN (Clin Nutr ESPEN). The impact of protein supplementation on appetite and energy intake in healthy older adults: A systematic review with meta-analysis. 2021.
5. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2019.
6. The Journal of Experimental Medicine (J Exp Med). The gut microbiome: Relationships with disease and opportunities for therapy. 2019.
7. Translational Research : the Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine (Transl Res). GUT DYSBIOSIS AND AGE-RELATED NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES; AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH FOR THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS. 2020.
8. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
9. 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.

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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.