Is protein powder safe? Advice please

[Happydaze2]

DS is 18 and recently started going to the gym regularly. Yesterday he bought a big bag of protein powder and seems to think it’s ok to use it twice a day - there are no directions on the pack about how often. I’ve no experience of this and a bit worried tbh - would appreciate any advice…

Of course protein powder is safe.

Whey protein can be quite harsh on the digestive system for some though, I use vegan blend because too much whey causes digestive issues.

Yea it's safe but better as a top up to protein and not your only source, make sure he's getting plenty of protein from actual food, shakes just top it up and allow you to spread it evenly throughout meals and snacks

Safe, but pricey!! And can lead to wicked gas....be warned.

The alternative is that he would 'meal prep' loads of chicken breasts and eat those 6 times a day....

It's so boring and a lifestyle (imho).....my DH would disagree with me....about the boring bit.

Yes as others said its perfectly safe, but he should be only using it as a supplement not instead of eating actual food. Also if he's using it to try and get a bit more lean, he needs to watch the sugar content as some flavours can be a lot higher in sugar and carbs than others.

Safe but pretty much pointless - most people get adequate protein from their diet, and you pee out excess protein, so he's likely flushing his money down the toilet.

@rbe78

Safe but pretty much pointless - most people get adequate protein from their diet, and you pee out excess protein, so he's likely flushing his money down the toilet.

Not if he's at the gym a lot!

@rbe78

Safe but pretty much pointless - most people get adequate protein from their diet, and you pee out excess protein, so he's likely flushing his money down the toilet.

Pretty sure the body stores it as fat

@rbe78

Safe but pretty much pointless - most people get adequate protein from their diet, and you pee out excess protein, so he's likely flushing his money down the toilet.

Adequate for what though? I track my protein every day and without a protein shake or high protein yoghurt etc every day I would struggle to hit what I deem to be an appropriate amount (2G per kg of lean body weight)

It's also not peed out! Protein is calories so will be stored as fat.

@rbe78 stop talking nonsense

Too much protein can be a bit harsh on the kidneys but most research says only really a problem if you already have kidney problems. If he is at the gym his body will use the protein to repair the muscles.

I wonder if what you’re thinking of is the supplement powder that has been in the news that has massive amounts of caffeine with the protein? I believe a body builder had a heart attack after it. Just get him to get it from somewhere reputable like Holland and Baratts or something.

It's a gateway supplement. First comes whey, then comes creatine, before you know it he'll be mainlining testosterone pills up his nose.

rbe78
Safe but pretty much pointless - most people get adequate protein from their diet, and you pee out excess protein, so he's likely flushing his money down the toilet

Protein in the urine is a cause for concern. Indicates a medical problem. It is certainly not normal to have protein in urine, no matter how much you ingest.

Dd uses protein powder as she’s trying to build muscle (elite athlete). I think she has two shakes a day or so. She has to have one that has passed the drug screening stuff so it’s £££££.

Not much different to having a couple of additional steaks or whatever. Probably a bit more complete though.

@rbe78

Safe but pretty much pointless - most people get adequate protein from their diet, and you pee out excess protein, so he's likely flushing his money down the toilet.

If you're peeing protein you need to get your kidney function checked

@ToiletPoster2

It's a gateway supplement. First comes whey, then comes creatine, before you know it he'll be mainlining testosterone pills up his nose.

Poppycock

Only fools do steroids

Got to be being sarcastic

OP I trust the safety of protein powders enough to allow my children to use them.
I often give our 16 year old some of my vegan blend because she's gone vegetarian. It became clear that her diet was quite low on protein as a result, occasional shake tops it up a bit.

@ToiletPoster2

It's a gateway supplement. First comes whey, then comes creatine, before you know it he'll be mainlining testosterone pills up his nose.

This has to be the most ignorant uninformed ridiculous comment I've seen in a long time. I'm a 40 year old mum of two who and I take whey protein and Creatine. Both are safe and Creatine is the most researched supplement of all time.