BYOMSPM

It feels to me that there is no end to the constant increase in the number of food products advertising how much protein they contain, as well as how much dialogue there is within the health, fitness, and food industries about the benefits of consuming more protein. This post is an attempt to outline the historical developments of the protein industry in hopes of better understanding how we got to such an obsession with the macronutrient.

Protein was first discovered in the mid 1800s, when scientists established that it was a common nutrient found in all plants and animals. Since then, we’ve established that protein is the main building block of life, consisting of amino acids, and forming most physical aspects of human and plant forms (and in particular, forming muscles). Some of these amino acids we can create ourselves, while others we need to ingest nutrients from food in order to produce.

The first time the concept of protein, and a subsequent “protein boom,” entered popular culture was in the mid- to late-1800s. After protein was discovered and named, one scientist who had established the connection between protein and human strength created the first “protein” supplement – Liebig’s Beef Extract – a goo made from cow meat. While this supplement actually (accidentally) had very low levels of protein (compared to meat, for one), it became popular enough to start international dialogue about protein and its connection to muscles, strength, and health. This increased the overall consumption of meat, and spurred other scientists to attempt to create extracted protein supplements (with limited success). Over time though, excitement around this newfound nutrient faded.

Then, in the 1930s, scientists in countries like the U.K. and USA starting attributing poor health in the global south to protein deficiency, and thus began the second protein boom. While some of these claims were seemingly based in racist or colonialist beliefs, they regardless spurred a new wave of protein innovation attempting to create new protein supplements out of things that would otherwise be considered waste (fish skin, algae, etc.). Generally, though, most of the innovations during this time were gross and didn’t become very popular; moreover, protein proved to be more of a scapegoat for social/economic issues in developing countries than anything else during this time.

Then, during WWII and the postwar era, developments in the protein industry bring us nearly to present day – during the war, there was a huge increase in dairy production because powdered milk was an efficient way to feed troops stationed overseas. After the war, dairy demand rapidly declined, and dairy farmers were suddenly producing a massive surplus. As a result, the government started subsidizing dairy farming, and there was a huge (and very successful) investment in advertising milk and cheese consumption for health benefits – by 1970, cheese consumption in the U.S. had almost tripled.

With the massive boom in cheese production also came a huge increase in one of its byproducts – whey. At first, farmers tried dumping the nitrogen-rich waste product into water, but with toxicity around 175x that of human waste, it quickly became an environmental concern. Regulators started cracking down on whey dumping, and farmers were motivated to develop a productive way to use the byproduct. With some crafty and innovative chemical processes, they ended up figuring out how to produce an edible powder very similar to the one we know today — with an extremely high protein content.

In the podcast I listened to from Today, Explained, they were debating whether the boom in popularity of protein initiated during this postwar period was more of a symptom of supply or demand – and it seems like it’s an interesting combination of both. By the time this third protein boom came around, there was a heightened interest in protein (high demand), but not a great way to ingest it efficiently (low supply); with the new innovations, whey became a great way to supply this protein for little additional work/cost. In other words, the increase in supply was finally able to satisfy the long-existing demand for more protein.

Both podcasts I listened to explained that the first group of eager adopters of this new whey protein powder was the bodybuilding community, but that it has since expanded to the entire fitness and wellness world. There is continued demand for protein because it provides health benefits that resonate with many people; furthermore, both podcasts note that protein has never faced the same kinds of health/cultural criticism as fats or carbohydrates, the two other primary macronutrients. As a result, protein has remained wildly popular, and innovation for new protein-rich foods continues on.

Thanks for reading!

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Sources

“How Protein Muscled its Way to the Top.” Decoder Ring. November 19, 2025. Spotify.

“Whey Too Much Protein.” Today, Explained. March 7, 2025. Spotify.