The Pew survey found that more women than men were taking protein supplements, a finding that surprised Stuart Phillips, a professor of kinesiology at McMaster University in Canada. Until recently, he said, it was more common for men to supplement with protein. The increase in use among women may reflect greater attention to their protein needs on social media, which has some merit since women are more likely than men to fall short on protein, he said.
The popularity of protein supplements may also be partly linked to the growing use of GLP-1 medications, and the belief that consuming extra protein may help stave off muscle loss that can accompany the use of the weight loss medications, Dr. Phillips said.
Regardless of sex or medication use, it is important to consume enough protein, Dr. Phillips said. But to build or maintain muscle, he added, resistance training is more important than protein consumption. And it’s better to get your protein from food sources, because they provide other beneficial nutrients.
“Supplements are convenient, but they are not necessary,” he said.
While previous estimates of supplement use have varied, research suggests that it has increased in recent decades, said Elizabeth Kantor, an epidemiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In June, she and her colleagues published a study that included more than 63,000 U.S. adults, surveyed between 1999 and 2023. Over that time, the researchers found, supplement use climbed to 60 percent from 51 percent of adults.
The rise in supplement use may be driven in part by claims of their benefits on social media, many of which are unsubstantiated, Dr. Topol said. It may also be “a reflection of the longevity fixation, that these are going to be the ticket to expanding life span,” he said.