How to Find the Best Protein Powder for Seniors Over 70

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

This is a Certified Nutrition Coach’s guide on how to find the best protein powder for seniors over 70.

Discover how to safely meet your protein needs as a senior.

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.

Is Protein Powder Good for Seniors Over 70?

Yes, protein powder can be beneficial for seniors over 70.

Seniors over the age of 70 need a high protein diet to prevent sarcopenia – the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength.

For seniors trying to rebuild muscle after illness 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 everyday tasks.

Plus, aging bodies process protein less efficiently and therefore need more of it; even healthy seniors need more protein than their younger selves (Biogerontology, 2025).

This is in part why one-third of seniors do not consume enough protein (Contemp Clin Trials, 2017).

Other reasons for inadequate protein intake include:

• Reduced appetite
• Dental issues
• Impaired taste or swallowing
• Limited financial resources
• Reduced ability to prepare meals

When paired with a sedentary lifestyle, low protein intake can put seniors at risk of deteriorating muscles, compromised mobility, and slower recovery from illness.

This is why seniors who consume more protein tend to have better outcomes (Am J Clin Nutr, 2021) (BMC Med, 2025).

How Much Protein Do Seniors Over 70 Need?

Adults over 70 years old should aim for at least 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (NEJM, 2025).

This recommendation is especially important for seniors at risk for malnutrition, frailty, or those with multiple illnesses.

Eating this much protein, even for seniors without dietary restrictions, can be challenging.

This is where protein powder can help.

Adding a scoop of protein powder to your diet, whether in smoothies, oatmeal, or other recipes, is an easy way to increase your protein intake and fill in gaps in your diet.

That said, not all protein powders are created equal.

What Is the Best Protein Powder for Seniors Over 70?

As long as you are eating a balanced diet – getting protein from a variety of sources – any type of protein powder can help you meet your total protein needs.

Ingredients do matter, however.

Many protein powders contain ingredients that might cause or contribute to painful side effects and even long-term health problems.

Among the top offenders are food additives, dairy-based proteins, and protein concentrates and isolates.

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

Regularly eating certain emulsifiers, thickeners, and other ultra-processed additives can not only upset your stomach, but also alter the composition and function of your gut microbiome (North Clin Istanb, 2020).

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

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

So seniors should be particularly mindful of what they eat and how it affects their gut health.

⚠️ 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 Dairy-Based Proteins

Dairy-based proteins like whey and casein, although not a problem for everyone, might cause 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 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

If you have a sensitive stomach, you might also want to avoid 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. Biogerontology (Biogerontology). Aging influences protein digestion, absorption and amino acid metabolism. 2025.
2. 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.
3. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Am J Clin Nutr). Low protein intake, physical activity, and physical function in European and North American community-dwelling older adults: a pooled analysis of four longitudinal aging cohorts. 2021.
4. BMC Medicine (BMC Med). Protein intake and transitions between frailty states in middle-aged and older adults: a multi-state transition model in the UK Biobank. 2025.
5. The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Malnutrition in Older Adults. 2025.
6. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2020.
7. The Journal of Experimental Medicine (J Exp Med). The gut microbiome: Relationships with disease and opportunities for therapy. 2019.
8. Translational Research (Transl Res). Gut dysbiosis and age-related neurological diseases; an innovative approach for therapeutic interventions. 2020.
9. Advances in Nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) (Adv Nutr). Systematic Review of the Gastrointestinal Effects of A1 Compared with A2 β-Casein. 2017.
10. 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.
11. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
12. 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 regularly update our content to ensure accuracy and clarity.