How to Find the Best Protein Powder for Endurance Athletes

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

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

Discover how to meet your daily protein needs as an endurance athlete.

Last Updated Aug 30, 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 Endurance Athletes

Is Protein Powder Good for Endurance Athletes?

Yes, protein powder can be a great addition to the diet of an endurance athlete.

Protein is just as important for endurance athletes as it is for weightlifters.

It supports exercise recovery, injury prevention, and immune system health (Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2016).

Plus, many endurance athletes do not consume enough protein. which could have a negative impact on their performance and development.

If you do not get enough protein while training hard, your body might break down muscle to use as fuel (FASEB J, 2015).

Over time, this could make you slower and weaker.

As a reminder, building and maintaining muscle mass can benefit endurance sports for several reasons, including:

• Efficiency: Stronger muscles could lead to more efficient technique.
• Power: Increased muscle mass might contribute to greater power output, which could help you move faster and for longer.
• Injury Prevention: Strong muscles provide better support and stability, which might decrease the risk of injury.

In short, if you are not already meeting your protein needs, and protein powder can help you bridge that gap, it is a great addition to your diet.

How Much Protein Do Endurance Athletes Need?

Sports nutrition guidelines suggest that endurance athletes consume 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2016).

Optimal intakes tend to fall at the upper end of this range, at roughly 1.8 grams or more per kilogram per day (Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2016).

Eating this much protein can be challenging for some athletes, especially those with dietary or lifestyle restrictions, which is where protein powder can help.

Adding a scoop of protein powder to your diet is a convenient way to fill gaps in your fueling routine.

You can easily add it to smoothies, oatmeal, and other recipes, or mix it with just milk or water to make a protein shake.

That said, not all protein powders are created equal.

What Is the Best Protein Powder for Endurance Athletes?

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 long-term health problems.

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

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

Regularly consuming emulsifiers, thickeners, artificial sweeteners, and other ultra-processed additives might alter the makeup and function of your gut microbiome, the community of bacteria and other microbes living in your digestive tract (North Clin Istanb, 2020).

Over time, these shifts, known as gut dysbiosis, have been shown to impair athletic performance (Eur J Appl Physiol, 2024).

For example, imbalances in gut bacteria can contribute to the reduced production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) (Eur J Appl Physiol, 2024).

This is particularly problematic for endurance athletes because SCFAs help regulate muscle metabolism, preserve muscle glycogen (stored energy), and reduce inflammation (Eur J Appl Physiol, 2024).

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. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (Med Sci Sports Exerc). Nutrition and Athletic Performance. 2016.
2. The FASEB Journal (FASEB J). Optimized dietary strategies to protect skeletal muscle mass during periods of unavoidable energy deficit. 2015.
3. Northern clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2020.
4. European journal of applied physiology (Eur J Appl Physiol). What if gastrointestinal complications in endurance athletes were gut injuries in response to a high consumption of ultra-processed foods? Please take care of your bugs if you want to improve endurance performance: a narrative review. 2024.
5. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
6. 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.