How to Find the Best Protein Powder for Men Over 50

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

This is a Nutrition Coach’s guide to finding the best protein powder for men over 50.

Discover how to safely meet your protein needs over the age of 50.

Last Updated Jul 21, 2026

Author and Medical Reviewer

Jack, CNC

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

Jack’s Story | Jack on LinkedIn | Jack in Forbes 30 Under 30

Disclaimer: This communication is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice.

Protein Powder for Men Over 50

Is Protein Powder Good for Men Over 50?

Yes, protein powder can be a convenient and effective way for men over 50 to reach their daily protein goals.

To understand why, it helps to understand how much protein you actually need.

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day for most adults (Food Funct, 2016).

Note that the RDA is the minimum amount of protein needed to meet your basic nutritional needs – not necessarily the amount you should consume every day.

The amount of protein you need depends on factors such as age, weight, and activity level.

Over the age of 50, particularly over the age of 65, age becomes a significant factor when it comes to protein intake.

Specifically, age-related shifts in protein metabolism, such as anabolic resistance – when your muscles muscles stop responding as well to protein and exercise – drive higher protein requirements.

In other words, older muscles become less efficient at using protein from food, so older men need more of it.

Current research suggests that men over 50 might benefit from eating 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (Nutrients, 2025).

It is important to note that this is an area of active research, and individual needs vary.

But for many men, 1 to 1.2 grams of protein works out to well over 100 grams of protein per day.

Eating this much protein can be hard, especially if you have dietary or lifestyle restrictions, which is where protein powder can help.

Protein powder can be mixed with just milk or water, or added smoothies, oatmeal, and other recipes.

That said, not all protein powders are created equal.

What Is the Best Protein Powder for Men Over 50?

Any type of protein powder – egg white, pea, whey, etc. – can help you meet your protein needs.

Animal proteins do have a per-meal anabolic advantage over plant proteins – particularly for older adults with anabolic resistance – but the gap narrows through adequate total protein intake and protein source diversity (J Nutr, 2025).

In other words, as long as you eat a balanced diet with protein from a variety of sources, there is no clear advantage to using one type of protein powder over another.

Ingredients do matter, however.

Many protein powders contain ingredients that are not only notorious for causing digestive issues, but might also contribute to long-term gut health problems.

Among the most problematic are food additives, dairy-based proteins, and protein concentrates and isolates.

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

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

These shifts, known as gut dysbiosis, have been linked to a range of chronic diseases, including obesity, type 1 diabetes, and colorectal cancer (J Exp Med, 2019).

It is worth noting that aging itself is associated with a decrease in microbial diversity and shifts in the makeup of the gut microbiome (Transl Res, 2020).

For this reason, because protein powder is something you probably add to your diet regularly, if not every day, I recommend avoiding protein powders with ultra-processed additives that might exacerbate these changes.

⚠️ Here is a list of the most common food additives found 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 Dairy-Based Proteins

Dairy-based proteins like whey and casein, although not a problem for everyone, can contribute to digestive issues too.

This is usually because they contain lactose – a sugar many individuals with sensitive stomachs cannot fully digest.

But you might be sensitive to dairy-based proteins even if you are not lactose intolerant.

For starters, the digestion of some caseins releases a bioactive peptide that has been linked to digestive issues (Adv Nutr, 2017).

Casein also forms a gel-like substance in your stomach that slows down digestion (Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2023).

For sensitive individuals, particularly true for those with cow’s milk protein allergy or intolerance, slower digestion might contribute to bloating, constipation, and other side effects.

🚫 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 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, individuals with sensitive stomachs can play it safe by choosing protein shakes and powders made from minimally-processed protein sources like egg whites and almonds.

They might be more gut-friendly.

Order Samples to see for yourself.

Sources

1. Food & Function (Food Funct). Dietary protein intake and human health. 2016.
2. Nutrients (Nutrients). Protein and Aging: Practicalities and Practice. 2025.
3. Journal of Nutrition (J Nutr). A Well-Balanced Vegan Diet Does not Compromise Daily Mixed Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates when Compared with an Omnivorous Diet in Active Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Cross-Over Trial. 2025.
4. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2020.
5. The Journal of Experimental Medicine (J Exp Med). The gut microbiome: Relationships with disease and opportunities for therapy. 2019.
6. Translational Research (Transl Res). Gut dysbiosis and age-related neurological diseases; an innovative approach for therapeutic interventions. 2020.
7. Advances in Nutrition | Journal (Adv Nutr). Systematic Review of the Gastrointestinal Effects of A1 Compared with A2 β-Casein. 2017.
8. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr). Milk proteins: Processing, gastric coagulation, amino acid availability and muscle protein synthesis. 2023.
9. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
10. 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 Certified Nutrition Coach and reviewed by a Registered Dietitian. We rely on peer-reviewed research and trusted medical sources, and we regularly update our content to ensure accuracy and clarity.