Protein Supplement Guide (2026): Types, Dosing & Best Products
The best protein supplement for most people is a whey protein powder: it has the most leucine, the amino acid that starts muscle building, and costs the least per gram. Our pick: Naked Whey, $1.84 per 25 g of protein.
By Erin Rose Updated October 20, 2026 How we score
What to buy
Naked Whey is our pick: 25 g of protein a scoop, one ingredient with no sweetener, and on the Informed Choice testing list.
Naked Whey
$1.84 per 25 g of protein
Need plant protein? See the best plant-based protein powder. An isolate or a flavored powder? See the best protein powder for each need.
Where to go next
- Best protein powder: our pick and the best powder for each need.
- Best protein shakes and best protein bars: ready to drink or eat.
- Best whey isolate and best clear whey.
- How much protein you need: a daily target for your weight and goal.
- Protein powder for women.
- Protein powder prices: every tub, cheapest per 25 g of protein first.
- Third-party tested protein powder: which tub is on which testing list.
- Brand against brand: Gold Standard vs ISO100, Transparent Labs vs Gold Standard, Ascent vs Gold Standard, Isopure vs Gold Standard, Ghost vs Gold Standard, Isopure vs ISO100 and Premier vs fairlife.
Which kind of protein to buy
Most tubs hold one of six kinds of protein. Here is who each one suits.
| Kind | Best for | Know this |
|---|---|---|
| Whey concentrate or blend | Most people | The lowest cost per gram of protein. It has a little lactose. Naked Whey is all concentrate. |
| Whey isolate | A stomach that dislikes regular whey | Filtered to about 90% protein, with most of the lactose and fat removed. It costs a little more. See best whey isolate. |
| Hydrolyzed whey | People who want the easiest to digest | Whey that is partly broken down. It costs the most and can taste a little bitter. |
| Casein | A slow, filling shake, such as before bed | The other milk protein. It digests slowly and makes a thick shake. |
| Plant (pea, soy, rice) | People who avoid milk | Plant protein builds muscle almost as well as whey, and strength gains are the same (Reid-McCann 2025). Plant powders carry more lead on average, so check before you buy. |
| Collagen | Skin and joints, not muscle | It lacks tryptophan, one of the amino acids your body needs, so don’t count it toward your daily protein. See collagen. |
Protein on Ozempic, Wegovy or Zepbound
Eat more protein while you take a GLP-1 drug, not less. These drugs cut your appetite so much that some people eat too little protein, and part of the weight they lose is muscle.
A 2025 advisory from four obesity and nutrition groups suggests 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight a day during weight loss. For a 200 lb person, that is about 110 to 145 g. It also says to do strength training, and that a protein shake can help on days you can’t eat much (Mozaffarian 2025).
One scoop of whey in water adds about 25 g of protein for 120 calories. On days when even that is hard, a small ready-to-drink shake is easier. This shake is not on a testing list; of the bottled shakes we checked, only Dymatize’s is. Ask your prescriber about your own target. For fiber, fluids and vitamins too, see supplements to take on GLP-1.
Premier Protein Shake
30 g of protein, 160 calories · $2.21 a bottle · best protein shakes
How much protein you need
Most adults need at least 0.8 g of protein per kg of body weight a day, about 54 g for a 150 lb person. If you lift weights, the gains from extra protein level off at about 1.6 g per kg (Morton 2018). The protein dosage guide works out your number.
Is protein powder safe?
For healthy adults, yes. Two things to check:
- Lead: some powders carry more than others, plant powders most of all. Our best protein powder page has Consumer Reports’ 2025 results.
- Kidneys: if you have kidney disease, ask your doctor before you add protein powder.
A tub on a testing list has been checked by someone outside the brand. See third-party tested protein powder.
Questions people ask
When is the best time to take protein powder?
Whenever suits you. For muscle, how much protein you get in a day matters more than when you take it. See the protein dosage guide.
Will protein powder make me gain weight?
Only if it adds calories you would not otherwise eat. A scoop of Naked Whey has 120 calories. Used in place of a snack, it adds protein, not calories.
Sources
- Mozaffarian D, et al. “Nutritional priorities to support GLP-1 therapy for obesity: a joint advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association, and the Obesity Society.” Obes Pillars. 2025. PubMed 40673264
- Morton RW, et al. “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.” Br J Sports Med. 2018. PubMed 28698222
- Reid-McCann RJ, et al. “Effect of Plant Versus Animal Protein on Muscle Mass, Strength, Physical Performance, and Sarcopenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.” Nutr Rev. 2025. PubMed 39813010
- Schoenfeld BJ, et al. “The effect of protein timing on muscle strength and hypertrophy: a meta-analysis.” J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013. PubMed 24299050