Pea Protein: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews

Overview

Pea protein is the protein found in peas (Pisum sativum). It contains all of the essential amino acids that the body cannot produce on its own.

Pea protein is a source of protein that might improve the nutrient content of the diet. Pea protein might also help people feel full for longer after eating.

People use pea protein for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, increasing muscle strength, diabetes, and other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.

Uses & Effectiveness

We currently have no information for Pea Protein overview.

Side Effects

When taken by mouth: Pea protein is commonly consumed in foods. Pea protein is possibly safe when used as medicine, short-term. It's usually well-tolerated, but some people might be allergic to pea protein.

Special Precautions and Warnings

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if pea protein is safe to use as a medicine when pregnant or breast feeding. Stay on the safe side and stick to food amounts.

Food allergies: Allergic reactions to pea protein have occurred in children who previously reacted to peanuts, tree nuts, chickpeas, lentils, or kidney beans. Avoid pea protein if you have food allergies.

Interactions

We currently have no information for Pea Protein overview.

Dosing

Pea protein has most often been used by adults in doses of 25 grams by mouth twice daily for up to 12 weeks. Speak with a healthcare provider to find out what dose might be best for a specific condition.

View References

REFERENCES:

Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients). Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2002. Available at: https://www.nap.edu/books/0309085373/html/.

Diepvens, K., Haberer, D., and Westerterp-Plantenga, M. Different proteins and biopeptides differently affect satiety and anorexigenic/orexigenic hormones in healthy humans. Int J Obes.(Lond) 2008;32(3):510-518.

Abou-Samra, R., Keersmaekers, L., Brienza, D., Mukherjee, R., and Mace, K. Effect of different protein sources on satiation and short-term satiety when consumed as a starter. Nutr J 2011;10:139.

Pexe-Machado PA, de Oliveira BD, Dock-Nascimento DB, de Aguilar-Nascimento JE. Shrinking preoperative fast time with maltodextrin and protein hydrolysate in gastrointestinal resections due to cancer. Nutrition 2013;29:1054-9.

Sirtori CR, Triolo M, Bosisio R, et al. Hypocholesterolaemic effects of lupin protein and pea protein/fibre combinations in moderately hypercholesterolaemic individuals. Br J Nutr 2012;107:1176-83.

Dahl WJ, Foster LM, Tyler RT. Review of the health benefits of peas (Pisum sativum L.). Br J Nutr 2012;108 Suppl 1:S3-10.

Geraedts MC, Troost FJ, Munsters MJ, et al. Intraduodenal administration of intact pea protein effectively reduces food intake in both lean and obese male subjects. PLoS One 2011;6:e24878.

Smith CE, Mollard RC, Luhovyy BL, Anderson GH. The effect of yellow pea protein and fibre on short-term food intake, subjective appetite and glycaemic response in healthy young men. Br J Nutr 2012;108 Suppl 1:S74-80.

Park SJ, Kim TW, Baik BK. Relationship between proportion and composition of albumins, and in vitro protein digestibility of raw and cooked pea seeds Pisum sativum L.). J Sci Food Agric 2010;90:1719-25.

Rigamonti E, Parolini C, Marchesi M, et al. Hypolipidemic effect of dietary pea proteins: Impact on genes regulating hepatic lipid metabolism. Mol Nutr Food Res 2010;54 Suppl 1:S24-30.

Spielmann J, Stangl GI, Eder K. Dietary pea protein stimulates bile acid excretion and lowers hepatic cholesterol concentration in rats. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl) 2008;92(6):683-93.

Li H, Prairie N, Udenigwe CC, et al. Blood pressure lowering effect of a pea protein hydrolysate in hypertensive rats and humans. J Agric Food Chem 2011;59:9854-60.

Girgih AT, Nwachukwu ID, Onuh JO, et al. Antihypertensive properties of a pea protein hydrolysate during short- and long-term oral administration to spontaneously hypertensive rats. J Food Sci 2016;81:H1281-7.

Utrilla MP, Peinado MJ, Ruiz R, et al. Pea (Pisum sativum L.) seed albumin extracts show anti-inflammatory effect in the DSS model of mouse colitis. Mol Nutr Food Res 2015;59:807-19.

Ndiaye F, Vuong T, Duarte J, et al. Anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating properties of an enzymatic protein hydrolysate from yellow field pea seeds. Eur J Nutr 2012;51:29-37.

Li H, Aluko RE. Identification and inhibitory properties of multifunctional peptides from pea protein hydrolysate. J Agric Food Chem 2010;58:11471-6.

Niehues M, Euler M, Georgi G, et al. Peptides from Pisum sativum L. enzymatic protein digest with anti-adhesive activity against Helicobacter pylori: structure-activity and inhibitory activity against BabA, SabA, HpaA and a fibronectin-binding adhesin. Mol Nutr Food Res 2010;54:1851-61.

Mollard RC, Luhovyy BL, Smith C, Anderson GH. Acute effects of pea protein and hull fibre alone and combined on blood glucose, appetite, and food intake in healthy young men--a randomized crossover trial. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 2014;39:1360-5.

Boye J, Zare F, Pletch A. Pulse proteins: processing, characterization, functional properties and applications in food and feed. Food Res Int 2011;43:414-43.

Babault N, Païzis C, Deley G, et al. Pea proteins oral supplementation promotes muscle thickness gains during resistance training: a double-blind, randomized, Placebo-controlled clinical trial vs. Whey protein. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2015;12(1):3.

Lavine E, Ben-Shoshan M. Anaphylaxis to hidden pea protein: A Canadian pediatric case series. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2019;7(6):2070-1. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2019.02.010.

Banaszek A, Townsend JR, Bender D, Vantrease WC, Marshall AC, Johnson KD. The effects of whey vs. pea protein on physical adaptations following 8-weeks of high-intensity functional training (HIFT): a pilot study. Sports (Basel) 2019;7(1). pii: E12. doi: 10.3390/sports7010012.

Nieman DC, Zwetsloot KA, Simonson AJ, et al. Effects of whey and pea protein supplementation on post-eccentric exercise muscle damage: A randomized trial. Nutrients. 2020 Aug 9;12(8):2382.

Hawley AL, Gbur E, Tacinelli AM, et al. The short-term effect of whey compared with pea protein on appetite, Food Intake, and Energy Expenditure in Young and Older Men. Curr Dev Nutr. 2020 Jan 22;4(2):nzaa009.

Thondre PS, Achebe I, Sampson A, et al. Co-ingestion of NUTRALYS(®) pea protein and a high-carbohydrate beverage influences the glycaemic, insulinaemic, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) responses: preliminary results of a randomised controlled trial. Eur J Nutr 2021;60(6):3085-93.

de Los Rios CC, Falcón BS, Arguelles-Arias F, et al. Long-term safety and efficacy study of a medical device containing xyloglucan, pea protein reticulated with tannins and xylo-oligosaccharides, in patients with diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome. Therap Adv Gastroenterol 2021;14:17562848211020570.

Spoelder M, Koopmans L, Hartman YAW, et al. Supplementation with Whey Protein, but Not Pea Protein, Reduces Muscle Damage Following Long-Distance Walking in Older Adults. Nutrients 2023;15(2):342.

Pinckaers PJM, Kouw IWK, Gorissen SHM, et al. The Muscle Protein Synthetic Response to the Ingestion of a Plant-Derived Protein Blend Does Not Differ from an Equivalent Amount of Milk Protein in Healthy Young Males. J Nutr 2023;152(12):2734-2743.

CONDITIONS OF USE AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This information is meant to supplement, not replace advice from your doctor or healthcare provider and is not meant to cover all possible uses, precautions, interactions or adverse effects. This information may not fit your specific health circumstances. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified health care provider because of something you have read on WebMD. You should always speak with your doctor or health care professional before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your health care plan or treatment and to determine what course of therapy is right for you.

This copyrighted material is licensed from Therapeutic Research Center, LLC. Information from this source is evidence-based and objective, and without commercial influence. For professional medical information on natural medicines, see Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Professional Version.
Licensed from Therapeutic Research Center, LLC
Copyright © 1995-2025 by Therapeutic Research Center, LLC. All Rights Reserved.