Whey protein (and other protein powders) and performance
What 5 graded rows on whey protein (and other protein powders) agree on for performance, and where they differ. Counted side by side, never averaged.
Consensus finder Rows from the Whey protein (and other protein powders) page, reviewed Oct 21, 2026 How it decides
What the rows agree on
Each block and row is one graded row from the Whey protein (and other protein powders) page, with its PubMed record.
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Whey protein (and other protein powders) and performance
5 rows · 2,890 peopleSplit. 3 rows found an improvement and 2 found no difference.
- AGrade A× 1
- BGrade B× 1
- CGrade C× 1
- DGrade D× 1
- ∅No effect× 1
- Rows
- 5
- Trials
- 5
- At least: a review without a trial count
- People
- 2,890
- Pooled reviews may count some twice
Where they differ
From the rowsThe best-graded row, grade A, is a meta-analysis of 1,863 people (2018) and found an improvement. 1 row is graded No effect, our grade for adequately powered trials that found no effect.
The 2 rows that found no difference were larger: a median of 396 people, against a median of 192 people for the 3 rows that found an improvement.
Only the 3 rows that found an improvement name men and athletes or trained people in their population.
The best grade is A among the rows that found an improvement, and B among the rows that found no difference.
The rows
3 improved · 2 no difference- AGrade AStrength and fat-free mass gains with protein supplements (any type) during resistance training · Improved
Meta-analysis · n 1,863 · 2018 · Healthy adults in 49 resistance-training trials
Varied; added gains in fat-free mass stopped beyond total protein intakes of about 1.62 g/kg/day · Prolonged resistance training programs
Protein supplements added about 2.5 kg to one-rep-max strength gains and 0.3 kg to fat-free mass gains. The effect on fat-free mass shrank with age and was larger in resistance-trained people.
Row on the Whey protein (and other protein powders) page · PubMed 28698222 (opens PubMed)
- CGrade CLean mass and strength in resistance-trained people (whey alone or in multi-ingredient products) · Improved
Meta-analysis · n 192 · 2016 · Resistance-trained individuals in 9 randomized trials
Varied across trials · Up to 12 weeks (no trial was longer)
Whey alone or in multi-ingredient products gave small extra gains in fat-free or lean mass (g = 0.301) and in upper- and lower-body strength. For whey alone, the subgroup results did not reach significance.
Row on the Whey protein (and other protein powders) page · PubMed 26403469 (opens PubMed)
- DGrade DProtein before sleep during a 12-week training program · Improved
RCT · n 44 · 2015 · Healthy young men doing progressive resistance training
27.5 g protein plus 15 g carbohydrate nightly · 12 weeks
Strength gains (+164 vs +130 kg on one-rep-max testing) and quadriceps cross-sectional area gains (+8.4 vs +4.8 cm²) were larger with protein than placebo.
Row on the Whey protein (and other protein powders) page · PubMed 25926415 (opens PubMed)
- BGrade BSoy versus animal protein (including whey): strength and lean mass gains · No difference
Meta-analysis · n 266 · 2018 · Adults doing resistance training in 9 trials (5 compared whey with soy)
Varied across trials · 6 weeks or longer
Strength rose with both soy and whey, with no difference between them; lean mass gains also did not differ between soy and other proteins.
Row on the Whey protein (and other protein powders) page · PubMed 29722584 (opens PubMed)
- ∅No effectProtein timed around workouts vs other times · No difference
Meta-analysis · n 525 · 2013 · Participants in 23 randomized trials (hypertrophy analysis; 478 in the strength analysis)
Varied across trials · Chronic training studies
After adjusting for covariates, protein taken in and around training did not change strength or muscle-size gains versus control; total protein intake was the strongest predictor of hypertrophy.
Row on the Whey protein (and other protein powders) page · PubMed 24299050 (opens PubMed)