Pea protein is protein extracted from peas and sold as a plant-based powder, often as an alternative to whey for people who avoid dairy. It is used to add protein around strength training.
Also known as: pea protein isolate, Pisum sativum protein.
A 12-week trial used 25 g of pea protein twice a day (Babault 2015). ODS lists an RDA of 0.8 g of protein per kg of body weight for healthy adults and says athletes may need 1.2 to 2.0 g/kg. These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling.
What studies show: in a 12-week trial in 161 men aged 18 to 35 doing arm training, biceps thickness grew in all groups (pea, whey and placebo), with only a trend toward differences between them; among the weakest men at the start, gains were 20.2% with pea, 15.6% with whey and 8.6% with placebo, and strength did not differ (Babault 2015). In an 84-day trial in sedentary adults doing weekly resistance training, pea and whey did not differ in strength or muscle mass gains (Singh 2024). Both trials tested Roquette's pea protein: one author of the first worked for Roquette, and the second was funded by Roquette with Roquette employees as authors.
Safety: ODS says no upper limit has been set for protein. Both pea protein products were well tolerated in the 84-day trial (Singh 2024). The sources here do not describe drug interactions.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for pea protein that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one. Protein is digested into amino acids, so no single figure describes it.
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