Do I need protein powder?
No, it is convenience: the extra muscle comes from hitting your daily protein, and powder is just a cheap, fast way to get there.
In the trials, people who took a supplement gained more muscle than people who did not, but the effect tracked their total protein for the day rather than the powder itself. Once intake is high enough, adding a shake does nothing extra.
So treat it as food in a tub. A scoop is about 25 g of protein for roughly the price of two eggs, it needs no cooking, and it travels. If you already reach 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg from meals, you can skip it without losing anything.
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- Morton, R.W. et al. (2018). 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 52(6). 49 studies: supplements added muscle and strength, with the benefit explained by total daily protein and levelling off near 1.6 g/kg.
- Reid-McCann, R.J. et al. (2025). Effect of plant versus animal protein on muscle mass, strength, physical performance, and sarcopenia: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression. Nutr Rev 83(7). Source matters little: soy matched dairy, other plant proteins trailed slightly.