How to Find the Best Protein Powder for Gout Sufferers

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

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

Discover how to supplement your protein intake without triggering gout flares.

Last Updated
Jan 23, 2026

Author and Medical Reviewer

Written by Jack, CNC

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

Protein Powder for Gout Sufferers

Can Protein Powder Cause Gout Flares?

Protein powders can trigger gout flares if they contain ingredients that are high in purines.

Animal-based protein powders like beef protein isolate, for example, contain lots of purines and should be avoided by individuals with gout.

Some plant-based proteins like peas contain moderate purine levels, and might cause gout flare-ups for sensitive individuals.

Is Protein Powder Good for Gout Sufferers?

Gout is a common form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by sudden, severe attacks of pain, swelling, redness and tenderness in one or more joints, often in the big toe.

There is no cure for gout, but you can manage symptoms and prevent flares by making certain lifestyle changes.

A low purine diet, for example, is often prescribed for gout sufferers because the body produces uric acid when it breaks down purines (Arthritis Rheumatol, 2015).

And gout flares occur when monosodium urate crystals form and deposit in the joints due to elevated uric acid levels in the blood.

Foods high in purines include many meats and seafoods.

It follows that going on a low purine diet can it can make it hard to meet your daily protein needs, which where protein powder can help.

Adding a low purine protein powder to your diet is an easy way to fill in nutritional gaps without causing gout flares.

That said, not all low purine protein powders are created equal.

What Is the Best Protein Powder for Gout?

What makes a protein powder safe for gout sufferers has a lot to do with the type of dietary protein it contains.

Some of the best types of protein powder for gout sufferers are egg white, hemp, and nut-based protein powders, all of which contain negligible purines.

The source of protein is not the only variable gout sufferers have to consider, however.

Many protein powders contain added ingredients that might not be safe for individuals with gout.

Among these ingredients are food additives and protein concentrates and isolates.

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

The average protein powder contains a cocktail of emulsifiers, thickeners, and other food additives.

Regularly eating ingredients like these can alter the composition of your gut microbiome, leading to a condition called gut dysbiosis (North Clin Istanb, 2019).

And gut dysbiosis is associated with the onset and progression of gout (World J Gastroenterol, 2024).

Basically, a decrease in gut microbial diversity, an overgrowth of bad microbes, or a loss of good microbes can affect uric acid metabolism, intestinal barrier integrity, and immune regulation in ways that might cause or exacerbate gout.

⚠️ 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

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 thus 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. Arthritis & Rheumatology (Arthritis Rheumatol). Food Sources of Protein and Risk of Incident Gout in the Singapore Chinese Health Study. 2015.
2. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2019.
3. World Journal of Gastroenterology (World J Gastroenterol). Elucidating the role of gut microbiota dysbiosis in hyperuricemia and gout: Insights and therapeutic strategies.. 2024.
4. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
5. 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

---

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.