{"id":461541,"date":"2026-04-30T14:23:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T14:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/461541\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T14:23:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T14:23:09","slug":"do-ultra-processed-protein-foods-kill-your-gains-heres-what-the-science-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/461541\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Ultra-Processed Protein Foods Kill Your Gains? Here\u2019s What the Science Says"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a modern paradox. Scroll through social media and you\u2019ll see no shortage of wellness influencers talking about the importance of protein<\/a>, often holding up ultra-processed<\/a>, high-protein bars<\/a>, shakes<\/a> and snack foods to the camera. But a few posts later, another group warns about the dangers of ultra-processed foods. So, which is it?<\/p>\n

To complicate things further, a recent study<\/a> published in the journal Radiology raised concerns. Researchers found that, compared to those who consumed more whole foods, individuals whose diets were high in ultra-processed foods had more fat infiltrating their thigh muscles. One<\/a> headline summed it up starkly: \u2018Your junk food is turning your thighs into well-marbled steaks.\u2019<\/p>\n

To work out whether high-protein ultra-processed foods deserve a place in your diet, I looked at the research and spoke to an expert.<\/p>\n

First, About That Study…<\/p>\n

As it turns out, the Radiology study did not distinguish between ultra-processed, high-protein foods and other types of ultra-processed food. That means participants may have been eating protein bars, but their diets could just as easily have been high in fat and refined carbohydrate-rich snacks. Plus, the average age of participants was around 60 \u2013 not exactly representative of the general population.<\/p>\n

Stuart Phillips, PhD<\/a>, a protein researcher and professor of kinesiology at McMaster University, doesn\u2019t see a reason to link all ultra-processed protein sources with increased muscle fat.<\/p>\n

\u2018The takeaway from studies like this is that poor overall diet quality is linked with poorer muscle quality, not that all ultra-processed foods harm your muscles,\u2019 says Phillips.<\/p>\n

Even so, the study raises a valid question: if a large portion of your daily protein intake comes from processed foods, will it affect your results?<\/p>\n

Are You Still Making Gains if Most of Your Protein Is Ultra-Processed?<\/p>\n

According to Phillips, muscle-building largely comes down to total protein intake and amino acid profile.<\/p>\n

\u2018If the protein dose, amino acid profile and daily total are adequate, processing level is largely irrelevant to muscle protein synthesis and muscle-building outcomes,\u2019 he says. \u2018A whey isolate is not a Twinkie, even if NOVA treats them the same.\u2019<\/p>\n

(Phillips is referring to the NOVA classification system<\/a>, which groups foods based on their level of processing. Protein powders, shakes and bars fall into the ultra-processed category.)<\/p>\n

Essential amino acids \u2013 particularly leucine \u2013 play a key role in muscle protein synthesis, and the body doesn\u2019t distinguish whether that leucine comes from a whey supplement or, say, a steak. If you\u2019re choosing a protein supplement or fortified food, aim for options that contain leucine. If that information isn\u2019t available, prioritise high-quality whole-food protein sources such as meat, dairy, soy foods, lentils and salmon.<\/p>\n

Total daily protein intake matters, too. Despite the conflicting advice, Phillips\u2019 research<\/a> suggests there is a ceiling, beyond which additional protein offers little benefit. For most healthy individuals, that sits at around 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.<\/p>\n

There are exceptions. Younger people doing resistance training may benefit from hitting that 1.6g per kilogram target, while adults over 65 may do well with between 1.2 and 1.6g per kilogram. Individual goals, health and life stage all matter.<\/p>\n

\u2018The 1.6g per kg figure isn\u2019t a hard ceiling,\u2019 Phillips adds. \u2018It\u2019s the point where the extra muscle return from adding more protein starts to level off. Older lifters and those training hard can reasonably push towards 2.0g per kg without harm, but the additional benefit becomes difficult to detect.\u2019<\/p>\n

The Bottom Line<\/p>\n

As a dietitian, I recommend getting the majority of your protein from whole foods. That said, life isn\u2019t always ideal. In those situations, protein supplements such as bars and powders can be a practical fallback.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no need to micromanage your diet. Consistency in the quality and variety of the food you eat \u2013 including protein \u2013 is what matters most<\/p>\n

Related Stories\"Lettermark\"<\/p>\n

Abby Langer, RD is the owner of Abby Langer Nutrition, a Toronto-based nutrition consulting and communications company<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a modern paradox. Scroll through social media and you\u2019ll see no shortage of wellness influencers talking about…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":461542,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[277],"tags":[194191,341,202947,343,18,135,19,17,201631,342,508,202946,194190],"class_list":{"0":"post-461541","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-collection-nutrition","9":"tag-content-type-news","10":"tag-contentid-1a19267c-c7f3-4e2a-bf74-9060ba1115e5","11":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","12":"tag-eire","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland","16":"tag-issyndicated-true","17":"tag-locale-gb","18":"tag-nutrition","19":"tag-shorttitle-will-ultra-processed-protein-ruin-your-gains","20":"tag-subsection-food-drink"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116494113617893145","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=461541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461541\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/461542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=461541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=461541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=461541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}