Healthy people can safely drink protein shakes (24Trusted Source).
That said, shakes are not designed to replace meals. It’s best to use them between meals and, if you prefer, around your workouts.
Many people fear that taking protein supplements in combination with a high-protein diet can harm their health.
That’s because high-protein diets have been erroneously associated with kidney disease and osteoporosis, a disease characterized by weak and brittle bones.
However, there is no evidence to suggest that a high-protein diet causes harm in people with healthy kidneys (25Trusted Source, 26Trusted Source, 27Trusted Source, 28Trusted Source).
Even those who consistently consume high-protein diets, such as weightlifters, have healthy kidneys (29, 30, 31).
On the contrary, a high-protein diet is associated with improved bone health. This may be because protein increases bone mineral density and reduces the risk of bone fractures, especially when combined with strength training (32Trusted Source, 33Trusted Source, 34Trusted Source, 35Trusted Source).
Therefore, unless your doctor or registered dietitian instructs you to limit your protein intake due to a medical condition, there is no need to fear a high-protein diet.
Summary
You can use protein shakes in between meals to boost your protein intake. The majority of healthy people can safely follow a high-protein diet.
