Protein powder supplements have gone mainstream.

Once used mainly by bodybuilders, they now have become popular among seniors who want to maintain or add weight to avoid becoming thin and frail.

They also are used by people who don’t necessarily want to get heavier, but want to add muscle and lose fat.

Which of these goals you have should determine the time of day you take your protein powder, according to new research.

Purdue University researchers analyzed 34 previous studies of people who used daily protein supplements. Some of the participants took their protein with meals. Others consumed it between meals.1
The researchers compared changes in lean muscle mass, weight, and body composition between the two groups.

They found that the benefits of taking protein powder varied greatly depending on when people consumed it.

When to Take Your Protein Supplement

The researchers discovered that taking protein with a meal or in between meals produces different results:

• Taking protein powder with a meal improves your chances of gaining muscle and losing fat without putting on weight.
• Taking protein power between meals is more likely to help you increase your overall body mass…both muscle and fat. You’re more likely to gain weight.

Why Timing Is Everything

Dr. Wayne Campbell is a professor of nutrition science at Purdue. He was the senior author on the study. He concluded that “consuming protein supplements with meals, rather than between meals, may more effectively promote weight control and reduce fat mass.”2

But “people who are trying to gain weight may consider consuming protein supplements between meals,” Dr. Campbell said.3

Why does timing make a difference?

Dr. Campbell explained that people tend to adjust their calorie count at a meal to include the calories in the protein supplement, he said. So when you have protein powder during meals you eat fewer calories overall.

But “such dietary compensation is likely missing when protein supplements are consumed as snacks (between meals),” he said.

The work recently was published in the journal Nutrition Review.

The Best Protein Supplement

Americans spend over $5 billion on protein supplements each year.

It’s important to choose wisely. Many brands are loaded with artificial colors, sugars, soy, hydrolyzed proteins, and artificial sweeteners.4 5

Take time to read the ingredients before you buy. Look for grass-fed varieties that are soy-free. One brand we recommend is ProMix. It’s widely available at health food stores and online.

Mix protein powder with filtered water. Or use coconut water. That way you’ll get healthy electrolytes and the same time you get body-building protein.

Editor’s Note: If you’re worried about your body declining as you get older, recent studies show that the symptoms of aging are just like any others. They can be treated or eliminated.

Go here to discover specific ways you can stop the clock.

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References:
1 https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/nutrit/nuy012/4980809?redirectedFrom=fulltext
2 https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/nutrit/nuy012/4980809?redirectedFrom=fulltext
3 https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/pu-tmw052318.php
4 https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20170901/protein-powder-can-provide-boost-but-at-what-cost
5 https://www.institutefornaturalhealing.com/2018/01/secret-ingredient-in-protein-makes-thin/