Six Star Whey Protein is a fast-growing protein brand that comes in a variety of flavors. The brand describes their product as supporting muscle building and providing "Immune Support."

But does a whey protein supplement really need to provide immune support? Does Six Star Whey contain an effective protein dose for muscle building? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? And what was our Product Tester's experience trying this product for a month?

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Six Star Whey Protein to give our take on whether or not this it's likely to support muscle building, and whether or not it's healthy.

We'll also share our Product Tester's honest experience trying it for a month, discuss whether "immune support" in protein products is beneficial, and compare Six Star Whey Protein to other popular whey protein powders to pick our winners (and losers) from a formulation quality perspective.

Key takeaways:

• Provides effective protein dose for muscle-building
• Contains some unhealthy inactive ingredients
  
• We do not currently recommend Six Star Whey Protein

Ingredient Analysis

The ingredients in the Triple Chocolate flavor of Six Star Whey Protein Plus are shown below:

Whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate and hydrolyzed whey protein are the active ingredients, and this product provides 30 grams (g) of whey protein per serving.

This is an effective protein dose for muscle building, as a 2013 meta-study established the effective dosing range of protein post-workout to be around 25 g.

But while this whey protein can support muscle building, it also contains several inactive ingredients that we consider to be questionable from a health perspective.

Natural and artificial flavors is a broad, categorical descriptor that fails to detail the specific flavoring agents used. Artificial flavors have been shown to be toxic to animals in some clinical studies, as we documented in our Gold Standard Whey Protein reviews article.

Sucralose is an artificial sweetener shown to negatively impact insulin function in healthy adults in a clinical trial published in the Nutrition Journal.

Acesulfame potassium is another artificial sweetener.

Overall, we consider Six Star Whey Protein to be effective for building muscle and recovery, but we don't currently recommend this product due to the inactive ingredients highlighted above.

Is "Immune Support" Real?

The vitamin and mineral ingredients in Six Star Whey are shown below:

These are the ingredients from which the brand derives its "immune support" claim.

While optimal zinc levels are associated with optimal immune function according to a 2016 medical review, we're not sure why a whey protein supplement needs relatively high doses of vitamins and minerals.

50% of Americans, and over 70% of elderly Americans take multivitamins daily according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

This supplement provides 130% of the Daily Value (DV) of vitamin D, which is a fat-soluble vitamin. It also provides 100% of the DV of zinc.

So while Six Star Whey may support immune function, it may also contribute to higher-than-normal intake of vitamins, given that many Americans obtain these vitamins and minerals from diet and other supplements like multivitamins.

We prefer whey protein formulations that are simpler: whey protein sourced from grass-fed animals without any vitamin, mineral or flavoring additives.

We Tested Six Star Whey Protein

One of our product testers named Matt Donnelly tried Six Star Whey Protein for a month. Here's his experience:

The foil seal was difficult to open and I needed to use a knife to puncture it so I could remove it. I also needed to go digging for the scoop, but that is common among protein powder products.

The taste was as promised. I tried Vanilla Cream, and it tasted like vanilla. There was a slight chalky mouth feel after drinking.

The experience I had with Six Star Whey Protein Powder was similar to my experiences with other protein powders. It helped increase the duration of my workouts and my strength.

I did not experience any side effects while using this product.

For anyone using this protein powder in a blended shake, be sure to leave room in your shake cup because it can “fluff” up.

Overall, I would rate this product 8/10 and I will consider purchasing it in the future if its price is competitive to other protein powders.

Six Star Whey vs. Popular Whey Powders

Here's how Six Star Whey Protein compares to other popular whey protein powders in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:

Seeq

Flavored with "natural flavors" rather than artificial flavors, which, while not perfectly healthy, is a healthier alternative.

Both products provide a protein dose within the effective range, but Six Star Whey contains more inactive ingredients we consider to be questionable.

Winner: Seeq

Gainful Protein

Contains green tea extract at an unspecified dose, which is concerning to us.

As we documented in our Gainful Protein powder review article, green tea extract at high doses over long durations can harm the liver.

Winner: Six Star Whey Protein

Body Fortress Whey

Contains the same two artificial sweeteners as exist in Six Star Whey, but is free from artificial flavors.

Both products provide an effective protein dose, so Body Fortress Whey gets the edge from a healthiness perspective.

Winner: Body Fortress Whey

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.

All of the products recommended in this section are free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.

Six Star Whey Protein Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Effective protein dose
• Should support muscle building
• Should support recovery
• Free shipping from brand's website
• Mostly positive online customer reviews

Cons:

• More expensive than some other popular whey protein supplements per-gram-protein
• Contains artificial sweeteners
• Contains added vitamins and minerals
• Contains artificial flavors
• Contains more added ingredients than we like in a whey protein powder

Conclusion

Six Star Whey Protein provides an effective protein dose for muscle building, so from a functional perspective, this is a well-formulated supplement.

However, most protein supplements that we've reviewed to date on Illuminate Health provide an effective protein dose, so the healthiness and price of the protein are big differentiators.

Six Star Whey has an unimpressive formulation from a health perspective in our opinion, given that it includes both artificial flavors and artificial sweeteners.

This brand also includes a relatively high dose of vitamin D and zinc in each serving, which we consider to be somewhat unnecessary for a protein supplement.

Our Product Tester tried Six Star Whey for a month and found that it subjectively improved his strength and endurance in the gym.

We consider Six Star Whey Protein to be a healthier option than Gainful Protein, but an inferior formulation to Seeq and Body Fortress Whey.