The truth about protein shakes, according to science | Dr Federica Amati

ZOE Science & Nutrition

Protein-rich diets have been popular for some time. Everything from chocolate bars to ice cream promises to be ‘high protein’. Influencers and media outlets seem to rave about the weight loss and muscle building potential of eating a lot of protein.

But when it’s added as an extra ingredient - sometimes with emulsifiers and sugar - is it really helping our muscles grow?

Today, ZOE's Head Nutritionist Dr. Federica Amati reveals the truth about protein bars and shakes, cutting through the marketing noise to find out how useful these products really are.

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Timecodes

00:00 Are protein shakes worth it?

01:30 What is protein?

02:59 The liver's surprising role

03:32 Why do we need protein?

05:01 You probably don’t need more protein

07:30 Can I get enough protein from plants?

09:15 The protein supplement explosion

11:20 Are protein bars ultra processed?

15:30 Does extra protein promote weight loss?

17:33 Should I drink protein shakes?

Books by our ZOE Scientists

• The Food For Life Cookbook
• Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati
• Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Mentioned in today's episode

• Dietary protein: an essential nutrient for bone health (2005), published in Journal of the American College of Nutrition
• Amino acids and immune function (2007), published in British Journal of Nutrition
• A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults (2017), published in British Journal of Sports Medicine
• Is It Time to Reconsider the U.S. Recommendations for Dietary Protein and Amino Acid Intake? (2023), published in Nutrients
• The hidden dangers of protein powders (2022), published by Harvard Medical School, Staying Healthy blog
• Gut microbiota role in dietary protein metabolism and health-related outcomes: The two sides of the coin (2016), published by Trends in Food Science and Technology

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Episode transcripts are available here.