Pea Protein Powder: Nutrition, Benefits and Side Effects

豌豆蛋白粉是通过从黄豌豆中提取蛋白质制成的补充剂。

It’s typically used to increase the protein content of smoothies and shakes and is a great fit for almost any diet since it’s naturally vegan and hypoallergenic.

Pea protein is a high-quality protein and a great source of iron. It can aid muscle growth, weight loss and heart health.

This article reviews the nutrition, health benefits and possible side effects of pea protein powder.

Nutritional Benefits

Pea protein powder — or pea protein isolate — is made by isolating the protein from ground yellow peas, forming a beige powder.

营养事实在品牌之间可能有所不同，但是，例如，两勺（20克）现在有机豌豆蛋白粉contains:

• Calories:80
• 蛋白质：15 grams
• Carbs:1 gram
• 纤维：1 gram
• Total fat:1.5 grams
• Sodium:230 mg
• Iron:5 mg

豌豆蛋白粉有多种营养益处。

High-Quality Protein Source

Pea protein contains all nineessential amino acidsthat your body cannot create and must get from food. However, it’s relatively low in methionine ( 1 ).

您可以通过在饮食中包括其他富含蛋氨酸的食物，例如鸡蛋，鱼类，家禽，牛肉或糙米（2, 3 ).

It’s also a great source ofbranched-chain amino acids, especially arginine — which promotes healthy blood flow and heart health — and leucine, isoleucine and valine — which promote muscle growth ( 4 ,5, 6 ).

In general, animal proteins are more easily digested and absorbed than plant-based proteins.

Still, research demonstrates that pea protein is one of the more easily digested plant-based proteins — just behind soy protein and chickpeas ( 7 , 8 ).

Rich in Iron

Pea protein powders are also rich in iron.

Most productscontain around 5–7.5 mg of iron per serving — roughly 28–42% of the reference daily intake (RDI) for premenopausal women and 62–94% of the RDI for men and postmenopausal women (9).

However, the iron found in plant foods is less absorbable than that found in animal products ( 10 ).

可以通过使用维生素C或维生素-C富含柑橘类食品（如柑橘）食用豌豆蛋白粉的豌豆蛋白粉，从而改善这种情况 - 这可以使铁吸收高达67％（ 11 ).

Since approximately 10% of American women are铁缺陷, including pea protein powder in your diet could be a great way to boost your intake of this nutrient ( 12 ).

使用许多特殊饮食

Pea protein powder is naturally vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and does not contain any of the前八种食物过敏原— peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, fish, shellfish, cow’s milk, wheat and soy ( 13 ).

Therefore, it works with nearly any diet.

豌豆蛋白质混合我们ll with water and has a less gritty or chalky texture than other plant-based protein powders like hemp.

While pea protein powder works for most people, anyone with an allergy, sensitivity or intolerance to peas should avoid it.

概括

Pea protein powder is a high-quality protein rich in iron, arginine and branched-chain amino acids. It’s digested and absorbed well and works with a variety of diets.

Health Benefits

Pea protein powder may not only be nutritionally beneficial but also good for your health.

Here are some of its main benefits.

Builds Muscle Mass

Studies show that pea protein powder can帮助锻炼肌肉when paired with resistance training.

在一项为期12周的研究中，每天消耗50克豌豆蛋白的体重男性获得了与服用乳清蛋白的肌肉相同的肌肉（ 4 ).

This suggests that pea protein powder is just as effective at building muscle mass as more common dairy-based protein powders.

However, adding extra protein to your diet without working out is not likely to have any effect on your muscles — it must be paired with一贯的运动( 14 , 15 ).

让你满意

Research has found that protein helps people feel fuller for longer than carbs or fat ( 16 ).

This means thathigh-protein dietsmay reduce overall calorie intake and lead to gradual weight loss over time ( 17 ).

Pea protein powder offers an easy way to add protein to your diet and reap these benefits.

One study found that 20 grams of pea protein powder taken 30 minutes before eating pizza reduced the average number of calories consumed by roughly 12% ( 18 ).

Other research observed that pea protein powder is just as effective at promoting fullness as dairy-based protein powders like casein orwhey( 19 , 20 , 21 ).

Pea protein powder is a good option for increasing protein intake and boosting feelings of fullness after meals.

Good for Heart Health

动物研究发现，豌豆蛋白粉可以减少一些风险因素心脏疾病, like elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Pea protein hydrolysate — a partially digested protein powder that contains smaller proteins — has been shown to significantly lower blood pressure levels in rats after three weeks ( 22 ).

在人类中进行的一项类似的三周研究发现，每天3克豌豆蛋白水解盐降低了收缩压（读数的最高数）6分（ 23 ).

However, regular pea protein powder that has not been partially digested does not appear to have the same effect ( 23 ).

Still, animal studies have found that pea protein powder canreduce cholesterol levels. It’s believed to work by increasing the uptake of cholesterol into cells and reducing the body’s production of fats ( 24 , 25 ).

Though these results are promising, more studies are needed to see whether pea protein powder can also lower cholesterol in people.

概括

豌豆蛋白粉具有多种健康益处，包括促进肌肉生长，增加饱腹感和促进心脏健康。

Potential Side Effects

豌豆蛋白粉通常耐受性良好，副作用很少。

Since it’s made by isolating protein from peas, it is relatively low in fiber and does not tend to cause gassiness or bloating like whole peas can for some people.

然而，豌豆蛋白粉可以相对较high in sodium— withproducts每份含110-390毫克。

因此，受钠限制饮食的人可能需要观察摄入量。

概括

豌豆蛋白粉通常耐受性良好，几乎没有副作用。但是，它可能包含相对较高的钠。

剂量以及如何使用

Pea protein powder is an easy way to boost your protein intake.

It may be especially helpful for people trying to increase muscle mass, like bodybuilders or older adults.

Research shows that eating 0.73 grams ofprotein per pound（每公斤1.6克）每天体重是建立肌肉的最有效剂量（ 26 ).

但是，重要的是，每天每磅体重每磅（每公斤5克）不超过2.3克蛋白质，或从蛋白质中获得超过35％的卡路里。

This is because, at extremely high doses, your liver may struggle to process protein fast enough, causing side effects like high levels of ammonia in the blood, nausea, diarrhea and even death ( 27 ).

Most people who use pea protein powder add it to smoothies or mix it with juice or water as a post-workout beverage.

Other creative uses include:

• Stirred intooatmeal, wheat porridge or brown rice cereal.
• Added to baked goods like muffins, brownies or waffles.
• 被植物牛奶中创建一个complete protein source.
• Blended into a smoothie and frozen inside popsicle molds.

For maximum muscle-building effects, pea protein powder should be consumed within two hours of exercising ( 28 ).

概括

Pea protein powder can be added to food and beverages to increase your protein intake. To boost muscle mass, drink your protein shake within two hours of exercise — but don’t consume all of your day’s protein allotment in one go.

The Bottom Line

Pea protein powder is a high-quality, easily digestedprotein sourcemade from yellow peas.

它富含铁，精氨酸和分支链氨基酸，并提供改善的肌肉生长，饱腹感和心脏健康等好处。

It works with most diets, as it’s naturallyvegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and hypoallergenic.

Pea protein powder is a great option if you’re looking to add more protein to your diet.