{"id":628593,"date":"2026-10-12T19:44:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T19:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/628593\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T19:44:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T19:44:17","slug":"can-i-get-too-much-protein-experts-answer-your-questions-on-the-popular-supplement-health-wellbeing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/628593\/","title":{"rendered":"Can I get too much protein? Experts answer your questions on the popular supplement | Health & wellbeing"},"content":{"rendered":"

If our protein powder taste test<\/a> taught us anything, it\u2019s that these supplements are confusing.<\/p>\n

While plant and whey powders are both popular, we opted for whey, given its surging prices and popularity (and the former\u2019s higher risk of lead<\/a>).<\/p>\n

What started as a simple mission to find the best-tasting powders soon led us down a rabbit hole, asking, \u201cWhat does NSF certification mean?\u201d and \u201cIs organic whey actually better?\u201d<\/p>\n

To further muddy the waters, the US Food and Drug Administration doesn\u2019t test<\/a> the safety of protein powders, including whether they contain heavy metals such as lead<\/a>. They also don\u2019t verify marketing claims promising improved muscle growth or recovery.<\/p>\n

So to help answer our most pressing protein questions, we interviewed four registered dietitians.<\/p>\n

Read the story: The 10 best (and worst) whey protein powders \u2013 tested<\/a><\/p>\n

Meet the experts<\/p>\n

Nancy Rodriguez<\/a>, RD, FACSM and professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Connecticut<\/p>\n

Jamie Na<\/a>deau<\/a>, RDN with over a decade of experience<\/p>\n

Nyree Dardarian<\/a>, RDN, LDN and assistant clinical professor at Drexel University<\/p>\n

Kacie Vavrek<\/a>, RD at the Ohio State University\u2019s Wexner medical center<\/p>\n

Responses were edited for clarity and length.<\/p>\n

Lauren Gould: What ingredients should we avoid?<\/p>\n

Kacie Vavrek: While there\u2019s no single ingredient everyone needs to avoid, some people may want to limit added sugars, excessive sugar alcohols (such as erythritol or sorbitol), or artificial sweeteners if they cause digestive issues.<\/p>\n

Nyree Dardarian: Whenever I see the words \u201cproprietary blend\u201d, I roll my eyes a little. Just tell me what\u2019s in it. I\u2019m also not a fan of products with more than 100% of the recommended daily allowance for a bunch of vitamins and minerals unless you actually need them.<\/p>\n

Jamie Nadeau: There is no reason to avoid trace minerals in protein powders in normal amounts, but most people do not need their protein powder to be supplemented with trace minerals.<\/p>\n

LG: You recommend third-party certified protein powders. Which certifications are best?<\/p>\n

JN: Look for certificationssuch as NSF Certified for Sport<\/a>, Informed Sport<\/a> or USP Verified<\/a>. Those programs help confirm that the product contains what the label claims and is tested for contaminants. Sports certifications such as NSF Certified for Sport also screen for banned substances.<\/p>\n

ND: Third-party testing is a good sign, but it doesn\u2019t make a product bulletproof.<\/p>\n

LG: Is organic whey better than regular?<\/p>\n

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A guide to buying fewer, better products.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

ND: Don\u2019t automatically assume organic means healthier or better.<\/p>\n

JN: Organic whey is a personal preference, but not necessary for a protein powder to be nutritious. I would prioritize independent third-party certification over an organic label.<\/p>\n

KV: Organic protein powders don\u2019t necessarily provide more protein or better muscle-building benefits than non-organic whey. If budget is a concern, choosing a high-quality, third-party tested whey protein is generally more important than whether it\u2019s organic.<\/p>\n

LG: Is it possible to have too much protein powder?<\/p>\n

Nancy Rodriguez: If you took five scoops of protein powder a day, you\u2019re not going to assimilate all of those amino acids in your body and live happily ever after. Your body will store excess nitrogen, and the only way we get rid of it is putting the liver and kidneys to work.<\/p>\n

When we did our studies in elite endurance athletes, we always made sure they were drinking enough<\/a> water<\/a>, too. Because if they were going to be using protein as fuel, we wanted to help their kidneys clear.<\/p>\n

Other pieces you might enjoy from the Filter<\/a>, the Guardian\u2019s guide to buying fewer, better things:<\/p>\n

Explore the Filter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If our protein powder taste test taught us anything, it\u2019s that these supplements are confusing. While plant and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":628594,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[134,111,139,556,69],"class_list":["post-628593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-health","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nutrition","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=628593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628593\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/628594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}