Is protein powder bad for you?

Not for most healthy people within the 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg range. If you have kidney disease, ask your GP or a dietitian first.

Is whey or plant protein better?

Both raise your total. Pick the one you like, can afford and tolerate.

Do you need protein powder after 40?

Updated 29 October 2026

No. Most women can reach 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg a day from food. A powder is a convenience, useful when breakfast or a busy day falls short. In trials of people doing strength training, extra protein gave a small boost to strength and muscle, and above about 1.6 g per kg a day it added nothing more.

What the research found

Morton and others (2018) pooled 49 trials of protein supplements with strength training. The supplements gave small extra gains in strength and muscle. Beyond a total intake of about 1.6 g per kg a day, there was no further gain in muscle. The effect was also smaller in older people.

The supplement itself is not magic. It is a way to raise your total. If food already gets you there, a powder adds cost, not muscle.

When a powder makes sense

Your protein calculator target is well above what you eat, and you cannot close the gap with meals.
Breakfast is rushed and low in protein. See How much protein per meal.
You eat a plant-based diet and find it hard to reach your number. See Protein without meat.

Choose one with a short ingredient list, and check whether it has been tested by an independent body if you compete in sport.

Know your starting point: work out your daily protein with the protein calculator and check your strength with the home strength test.

Questions people also ask

Is protein powder bad for you?: Not for most healthy people within the 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg range. If you have kidney disease, ask your GP or a dietitian first.
Is whey or plant protein better?: Both raise your total. Pick the one you like, can afford and tolerate.

Find out where you stand.

Take Ojafi's free strength check and get a plan built around your week, your food and your joints.

Take the strength check

Sources

Ojafi gives general food and exercise guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose or treat any condition. See our medical disclaimer.