Dr. Mark Hyman

Now, if we understand protein, you have to understand how the previous guidelines were determined.

They're determined by how much protein do you need to not get a protein deficiency disease.

That doesn't mean it's the optimal amount for health.

It means how much you need to get really sick.

I don't care about that.

I care about what's optimal.

And so we've changed the amount.

Protein is no longer seen as something we should be worried about eating too much of.

The new target in the guidelines is 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilo of body weight.

I don't know why they did that because people in America know pounds, but it's somewhere around a 0.7 to 1 gram per pound of ideal body weight.

It doesn't mean if you're 300 pounds, you should be 300 grams of protein.

If your ideal body weight is 150, that's the amount you should be eating.

The focus really shifts from deficiency prevention to optimal health.

And why does this matter?

Well, muscle is the currency of longevity.

It's the key to health as we age.

It's how we run our metabolism, blood sugar control.

It's a system.

for preventing frailty and early death and so many things, hip fractures, on and on and on.

So building muscle is key.