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Supplement evidence

024 / 575Nutrition support

Protein powder

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The short answer

Conveniently meeting protein needs when food intake is insufficient, especially alongside resistance training.

Evidence and scope
Conditional or population-specific

This status does not grade the ingredient for every goal, outcome, or person.

Important limitation
It offers little advantage over adequate high-quality food protein and is not independently proven to extend life.
Before deciding
Choose tested products; kidney disease and some metabolic disorders require individualized advice.

01 / PRACTICAL GUIDE

Dose, absorption, and combinations

These are indication-specific reference or studied ranges—not a personalized prescription. Start with the objective, then check the form, label, medicines, and health conditions.

Reference range by objective
Per-meal protein20–40 g high-quality protein per meal; daily totals often 1.2–1.6 g/kg for active adults

Reference or studied range—not a personalized prescription. The product label or a clinician may specify a different dose.

Dose source

More is not automatically better. A clinician or product label may specify a different amount.

Absorption / solubilityFat/water classification is not the key factor

Fat/water solubility is not the useful decision point; preparation, fluid, timing, or strain identity matters more.

How it is commonly taken

Use to fill a dietary gap; distribute across meals.

Do not combine casually

Kidney disease, metabolic disorders, allergies, and contaminated products require individualized review.

Dose and use source

Dose and use links lead to primary or official source material. Search links are discovery tools, not proof that every returned paper applies.

02 / EVIDENCE

What the research says

We keep supportive, mixed, negative, safety, and contextual findings together. The headline never replaces the underlying papers.

4research papers in this ledger
49unique primary studies represented
1,863unique participants represented

These are audited counts for this JIVANA collection, not search-result totals. Participants are counted once when multiple papers use the same cohort; review papers are not added again to participant totals.

Open the research timelineResearch timeline

Entries are ordered by publication year. A study period appears only when the source reports it.

2018
Supports a specific usePMID 28698222

A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults

Supplementation added small gains in strength, fat-free mass, and muscle size during resistance training; the dose-response analysis estimated a plateau near 1.62 g/kg/day of total protein intake.

Study design and methods
Design
Systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression
Population
Healthy adults performing prolonged resistance training
Intervention
Dietary protein supplementation during resistance training versus control
Outcome
Strength, fat-free mass, and muscle size
Open research record
2018
Does not support the tested claimPMID 30475963

Effects of protein supplementation on lean body mass, muscle strength, and physical performance in nonfrail community-dwelling older adults

No significant improvement was found across muscle mass, strength, or physical-performance outcomes. The result may not apply to older adults with low baseline protein intake.

Study design and methods
Design
Systematic review and meta-analysis
Population
Nonfrail, community-dwelling older adults, most with sufficient habitual protein intake
Intervention
Protein supplementation with or without resistance training versus control
Outcome
Lean mass, strength, gait speed, and chair-rise ability
Open research record
2018
Safety signalPMID 30383278

Changes in Kidney Function Do Not Differ between Healthy Adults Consuming Higher- Compared with Lower- or Normal-Protein Diets

Kidney-function changes did not differ between diets in adults without kidney disease. This does not establish safety for people with chronic kidney disease.

Study design and methods
Design
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials
Population
Adults without chronic kidney disease
Intervention
Higher-protein diets versus lower- or normal-protein diets
Outcome
Glomerular filtration rate and other kidney-function measures
Open research record
2012
Evidence contextPMID 23097268

Effects of energy-restricted high-protein, low-fat compared with standard-protein, low-fat diets: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

With calories intentionally restricted in both groups, higher-protein diets produced modestly greater weight and fat loss and better preservation of fat-free mass and resting energy expenditure.

Study design and methods
Design
Meta-analysis of randomized energy-restricted diet trials
Population
Adults in energy-restricted weight-loss trials
Intervention
Higher-protein, low-fat diet versus standard-protein, low-fat diet
Outcome
Body weight, fat mass, fat-free mass, resting energy expenditure, and cardiometabolic markers
Open research record
Unscreened discovery appendix—not evidence1,371 candidate publicationsSearch run: Aug 21, 2026

Complete for the displayed PubMed query at the search timestamp—not for all databases or every possible synonym. Candidates can be irrelevant, duplicate the same study, or report negative findings. They are never summed as evidence or participants until screened.

03 / SOURCES

Start with the source material

The live search is for discovery only. Search-result counts change and are not included in the audited totals above.

Recent PubMed discovery recordsDirect links to the first 12 records returned by the reproducible search. These are discovery candidates—not reviewed summaries or a count of supportive findings.
  1. Bifidobacterium longum BB536 is associated with improvements in gastrointestinal symptoms and odor-related metabolites in microbiota-defined subgroups of male athletes consuming a high-protein diet: exploratory randomized double‑blind placebo‑controlled trial.Miyamoto S, Yoshimoto S, Katsumata N et al. · 2026 · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · PMID 42046285Open on PubMed
  2. Whey protein intakes up to 0.4g/kg body mass are well tolerated before a 10km run at 85% of race pace: a clinical trial.Shaw K, Lindstrom B, Moss A et al. · 2026 · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · PMID 41556283Open on PubMed
  3. The effectiveness of protein supplements on athletic performance and post-exercise recovery - a Bayesian multilevel meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Zhao S, Zhang X, Liang T et al. · 2026 · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · PMID 41433039Open on PubMed
  4. Presleep Whey but Not Casein Protein Ingestion Improves Sleep Quality After Resistance Exercise When Compared With an Isocaloric Control in Resistance Trained Individuals.Aussieker T, Kredig N, Wasserfurth P et al. · 2026 · International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism · PMID 42413910Open on PubMed
  5. Investigating the Effects of a Novel Salmon-Derived Protein Peptide on Markers of Recovery From Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage.Haigney E, Waddell A, Korzepa M et al. · 2026 · International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism · PMID 42248424Open on PubMed
  6. Prognostic effects of NRS 2002- and GLIM-guided nutritional intervention in patients undergoing intracranial tumor surgery: A non-randomized controlled study.Han J, Zhou X, Xu W et al. · 2026 · Clinical neurology and neurosurgery · PMID 42150221Open on PubMed
  7. Synergistic effects of synbiotic, protein supplementation, and resistance training on inflammation, oxidative stress, and muscle strength in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a RCT triple-blinded study.Bastos MF, Longo PL, Furtado GE et al. · 2026 · European journal of nutrition · PMID 42616143Open on PubMed
  8. Dietary Intake of Animal and Plant-Based Protein on Adiposity Measurements and Body Composition in Pre- and Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials.Fialho SN, de Souza Ferreira ML, Ribeiro SAV et al. · 2026 · FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · PMID 42541706Open on PubMed
  9. Nutritional interventions and dietary supplements in muscle diseases: a systematic review.Talreja T, Vedantam D, Bandarupalli P et al. · 2026 · Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · PMID 42482152Open on PubMed
  10. A Systematic Review to Reassess the Formula for Early Life Growth.Nilaweera KN, van Sinderen D, Cotter PD · 2026 · Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · PMID 42176955Open on PubMed
  11. Assessing the responsiveness of musculoskeletal tissues to protein supplementation in vivo in older adults: an exploratory randomized controlled trial.Houtvast DC, Hendriks FK, Weijzen ME et al. · 2026 · The American journal of clinical nutrition · PMID 42142739Open on PubMed
  12. Effect of Whey and Soy Protein Supplements on Inflammation in Adults on Chronic Hemodialysis: A Double-blind Randomized Crossover Controlled Study.Aycart DF, Acevedo S, Ilkun O et al. · 2026 · Journal of renal nutrition : the official journal of the Council on Renal Nutrition of the National Kidney Foundation · PMID 41759604Open on PubMed

04 / EXPERT CONTEXT

Expert context—not evidence

Expert positions are dated context—not scientific evidence. They never raise the evidence status or become consensus by repetition.

No direct, source-verified endorsement is currently recorded. Research authorship or discussion alone is not treated as endorsement.

Educational information only—not medical advice. Product quality, dose, medicines, pregnancy, and kidney or liver disease can materially change safety.