Ghost is a popular supplement brand that sells both whey protein and vegan protein. The company describes their whey protein as "a premium 100% whey protein blend with natural digestive enzymes and...authentic flavor collabs."
But does Ghost Protein provide an effective protein dose for muscle-building? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? Why was the brand sued? And is Ghost Protein better or worse than other popular protein powders like Ryse?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Ghost Protein to give our take on whether or not it's effectively dosed for growing muscle, and whether or not it's healthy overall.
We'll also explain why Ghost was sued in a class-action lawsuit, what this means for consumers, and compare Ghost Protein to other popular protein powders to pick our winners (and losers) from a formulation perspective.
Key takeaways:
- Contains effective protein dose for muscle-building
- Contains a large number of ingredients we consider unhealthy
- We do not currently recommend Ghost Protein
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in the Chips Ahoy flavor of Ghost Whey Protein are shown below:
Whey protein is included at a dose of 25 grams (g) per serving, which is an optimal dose for muscle building and post-workout recovery.
A meta-study on dietary protein for muscle hypertrophy found that 25 g is the maximally-effective dose for muscle protein synthesis after a workout.
Ghost fails to clarify whether their whey is sourced from pastured or conventionally-raised animals. A medical review published in the Frontiers in Nutrition journal suggests that animal products from conventionally-raised animals are less healthy than pastured.
This protein powder contains a number of additive ingredients that we consider to be questionable from a health perspective, discussed below:
Sugar is included at a dose of 4 g, and while this is a relatively low dose, diets high in added sugar are clinically shown to promote obesity.
Many Americans already consume a high level of added sugar in their diet, so we recommend avoiding refined sugar from supplements.
Partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil is a strange choice for a whey protein product in our opinion.
A 2009 meta-study found that partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is positively associated with cardiovascular disease risk.
High fructose corn syrup intake is associated with obesity in medical research.
Artificial flavors are clinically shown to pose toxicity concerns, as we documented in our Herbalife reviews article.
Digestive enzymes is included and we're unsure why, nor could we locate any explanation on Ghost’s site. We haven’t come across any medical studies suggesting that people without digestive disorders benefit from supplemental digestive enzymes.
Overall we consider this to be one of the worst protein powder formulations we’ve reviewed on Illuminate Health to date.
The whey appears to be sourced from conventionally-raised animals, and there are five separate inactive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Why Was Ghost Sued?
As we detailed in our review of Ghost Greens (another supplement sold by the brand), Ghost Lifestyle was sued over its ingredient disclosures.
In the class-action lawsuit levied against Ghost Lifestyle, the plaintiffs allege that Ghost falsely advertised their products as “naturally flavored” while they were flavored with synthetic additives.
The lawsuit is in regard to Ghost Greens, their green powder product, and not Ghost Protein. However we consider this a red flag about the brand generally and believe this information is relevant to potential consumers of Ghost Protein.
At the time of updating this article, we cannot find any information about whether the lawsuit was settled, or is ongoing.
Ghost Protein vs. Popular Protein Powders
Here's how Ghost Protein compares to other popular protein powders in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:
Ryse
Contains artificial flavors and artificial sweeteners like sucralose, which is clinically shown to have negative effects on insulin function (even in healthy adults).
However, it's free from added, refined sugar, and also from partially hydrogenated oils, so Ryse gets the (slight) edge in regard to healthiness.
Winner: Ryse
Ascent Protein
This brand offers an Unflavored version that is free of any unhealthy additives, as we documented in our Ascent Protein review article.
Both products contain the exact same protein dose per-serving, so Ascent wins from a healthiness perspective.
Winner: Ascent Protein
Seeq
This fruit-flavored protein powder contains several ingredients we consider to be unhealthy, but none as much as the refined sugar and partially hydrogenated oil combination in Ghost Protein.
Winner: Seeq
How to Use Protein Powder to Build Muscle
A YouTube creator and fitness influencer named Jeremy Ethier has a video on how to use protein powder to build muscle that discusses form, timing and dosage:
Our Clean Protein Picks
MBG Whey Protein Isolate+ is our top overall protein powder.
Whey protein is a "complete" protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids.
Anthony's Organic Hemp Protein is our top vegan protein powder.
It's extremely nutrient-dense, providing 25% of the Daily Value (DV) of iron and 8% of the DV of potassium.
Both of the products recommended in this section are free of additive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Ghost Protein Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Effective protein dose
- Should support muscle building
- Favorable Amazon customer reviews
- Comes in a variety of flavors
Cons:
- Contains artificial flavors
- Contains hydrogenated oil
- Contains sucralose
- Contains high fructose corn syrup
- Unhealthy formulation in our opinion
- Brand website charges for shipping
- Brand was sued over ingredient disclosures in another product
