Maltodextrin
The question

Is Maltodextrin safe in protein powder?

CautionProtein powder

Refined starch-derived polysaccharide used as a filler, thickener and carrier. It is digested to glucose and produces a high glycemic response; mouse and in-vitro studies link it to gut-barrier and microbiome effects relevant to inflammatory bowel disease susceptibility.

What the research flags

  • In-vitro and cell studies show maltodextrin enhances biofilm formation and epithelial adhesion of Crohn's-disease-associated adherent-invasive E. coli (Nickerson & McDonald 2012)
  • In mice, a maltodextrin-enriched diet drove endoplasmic-reticulum-stress-mediated depletion of the protective intestinal mucus layer and worsened experimental colitis (Laudisi et al. 2018)

Regulatory
IARC Class: NL

Other protein powder ingredients on file

Sources & references

  1. [1]
    Peer-reviewedPubMed / NCBI — pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov · ref 23251695
  2. [2]
    Peer-reviewedPubMed / NCBI — pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov · ref 30765332

Research disclaimer: Ratings reflect peer-reviewed research and regulatory assessments available at the time of publication, not the dose or formulation of any specific protein powder product. This is not medical advice.