Dr. Rhonda Patrick

Muscle strength and size increased even in the ninth decade of life, an age when most people wouldn't even think twice about touching a weight.

So let's talk about the optimal protein intake.

The optimal amount of protein will not be the same for everyone.

Some people want to build muscle mass, some people want to maintain it, and others want to improve their body composition by building muscle and losing fat.

Each of these goals requires a more tailored approach.

The first thing to know is that it's generally agreed upon that protein needs should be calculated based on a lean body mass or an adjusted body weight, reflecting a healthy body fat percentage.

So for example, 12 to 15% for men and around 20% for women.

This prevents unrealistic targets, especially for those who are overweight or obese.

So when I refer to protein intake in grams per kilogram of body weight per day, what I'm ideally referring to is your ideal or goal body weight.

Let's address one thing up front.

The recommended dietary allowance or the RDA for protein of 0.8 grams per kilogram per day

is thought by many to be too low.

This is because the RDA was derived from nitrogen balance studies, which have limitations due to incomplete collection

and inaccurate estimates of amino acid losses.

The optimal range for daily protein intake is closer to 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram body weight per day, or roughly 0.54 to 0.72 grams per pound.

This is based on alternative methods like stable isotope studies, which consistently show that higher intakes are necessary to maintain a positive protein balance,

far above the 0.8 grams per kilogram often cited.

So aiming for at least 1.2 grams and up to 1.6 grams is what we're talking about for optimal protein intake.

There's good evidence to suggest this.

For example, older adults consuming at least 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram body weight per day prevented age-related losses in lean mass when compared to consuming the RDA of 0.8 grams per kilogram body weight.