Liquid protein supplementation showed higher adherence after gastric bypass
A small trial compared liquid and powdered protein supplements after surgery, finding higher reported adherence with the liquid form but no significant difference in body composition changes.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Patients assigned to the liquid supplement had higher reported adherence than those assigned to powder. Some nutritional laboratory measures also favored the liquid group. These findings concern short-term supplementation after a specific operation; they do not establish a general advantage for liquid protein or demonstrate better weight loss or preservation of fat-free mass.
The abstract does not explain how adherence was calculated, despite reporting a liquid-group average above complete adherence. It also omits a direct result for daily protein intake, which was part of the study’s stated question.
What researchers found
Protein supplement adherence
Across the 2-month trial, adherence was statistically higher with liquid supplementation than with protein powder.
What changed beyond adherence
The liquid group had a higher reported basal metabolic rate at follow-up and lower prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and abnormal transferrin saturation. These are metabolic or laboratory findings, rather than direct measures of recovery.
What remained uncertain
Weight loss and changes in fat-free mass did not differ significantly between groups. That does not establish equivalence. The abstract also does not show whether the adherence difference continued beyond the study period.
The original publication
Evaluating Protein Liquid Supplementation for Enhanced Protein Intake and Adherence at Short-Term After Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
Alonso L, Gastaldo I, Caballero M et al.
Obes Surg · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40836169
- Record checked
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