The post-45 protein problem

You need more than you probably think to avoid losing muscle mass.

Feb 16, 2025

Here’s three simple questions that I hope will influence how you think about growing physically stronger with age:

do you know how much daily protein you consume, on average?
are you aware that when you don’t get enough protein, your body cannibalizes the next available source — your existing muscle fiber?
if you knew for a fact that you weren’t getting enough protein to maintain or build your muscles, would you make a point of consuming more?

If you answered “no” to that third question, you can stop reading right here. But if your response to either of the first two questions is something short of yes, you’re not alone, because:

until recently I completely ignored protein intake — eating only when hungry and following a Mediterranean-ish diet…and figured that was enough (it’s not)
in retrospect, even with regular workouts, I was probably losing, instead of gaining, a small amount of muscle mass — not a winning strategy after 50
tracking daily grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is a pain in the ass
I had no idea how much protein needs change in midlife

Needless to say, I and many others over 45 need to pay more attention to protein intake daily. Thankfully, it doesn’t take more than a few hours to get up to speed.

Below, I outline the emergent protein problem, how much protein is enough and how to more easily track your daily intake.

The danger of shorting your protein needs

Especially after 50, we need more protein than we used to, because our bodies become less efficient at metabolizing it and because age-related conditions like inflammation, injuries, diseases — basically everything that causes you to complain when you wake up each day — increase one’s need for protein.

If you don’t get enough of it on a daily basis, you force your body to draw it from muscle tissue, increasing your chances of landing on an island nobody wants to visit: Sarcopenia. (Sounds like a blue zone, right? It’s not.)

“Older people need to make up for age-related changes in protein metabolism, such as high splanchnic extraction and declining anabolic responses to ingested protein,” says an often-cited research paper (whose German lead author is from the appropriately named University of Oldenburg). “They also need more protein to offset inflammatory and catabolic conditions associated with chronic and acute diseases that occur commonly with aging.”

A brief appreciation for “splanchnic extraction”: It may sound like East Berlin punk band (Splanchnik Extraktion!) but refers to the process in which the stomach, intestines, liver and pancreas remove substances like amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, from the bloodstream. Studies suggest that with age, the splanchnic extraction of amino acids can increase and contribute to muscle loss.

How much protein do you really need?

In the U.S., the so-called “recommended daily allowance,” or RDA, of protein has long been a woeful 0.36 grams of protein per pound (or 0.8g/kg) of body weight. There are several problems with this, however. Here’s three:

It’s outdated. This recommendation hasn’t changed in decades and doesn’t distinguish between the protein needs of children and adults; young adults or older folks; or athletic or exercise habits.
It’s not a real recommendation. Though it uses the word “recommended,” the guideline is actually a minimum threshold to avoid becoming sick, instead of a sufficient amount of protein to be healthy. Which makes it a stupid recommendation.
The recommender is a government committee with a mixed record. The RDA for protein is set by the National Academy of Medicine, part of the National Academies of Sciences — the same body that recently, despite a preponderance of newer research indicating any alcohol has a negative impact on health, issued a controversial finding that moderate drinking conferred some health benefits. Whether industry influence or politics played a role in that finding is not clear, but be aware that this committee’s priorities may not align with yours.

What is very clear is that for adults over 50, especially athletes and people who do physical work, the RDA is to aging with strength what a phone book is to the internet: not even close to good enough.

Current research suggests a range anywhere from .45 to .72 grams per pound (1.0 to 1.6 g/kg) of body weight daily. (Some experts even recommend up to 0.9 grams of protein per pound, or 2.0 g/kg, per day).

Using .45 g/pound to .76 g/pound of body weight as a guide, here’s how much protein people of different body weights may need (athletes would likely need greater amounts):

How to count your daily grams of protein

As mentioned above, I found learning how to track my daily protein intake to be a time-consuming ordeal….for about a week. After that, like cooking from recipes, you start building memory and awareness of what you’re doing, and like anything else the process quickly becomes faster and intuitive.

Counting rough grams of daily protein is a life skill we each need to build. So a few days of reading food labels seems worth the reward of understanding whether you’re feeding your muscles adequately or not. After all, you want to be someone who, at 80, can rise from a seated position on the floor without using hands, right? That requires some useful muscles.

Here’s how I learned to count grams of daily protein:

I’m 6’3” and 200 pounds, so to get my 90g to 152g of daily protein (from the above chart), I took a page from my doctor’s playbook1 and started eating a lot of low-sugar yogurt, with berries and a protein-infused granola, when I finally break fast, in mid-morning.

(That this hits the 152g upper limit for my weight class is a coincidence.) If I go for a workout, play tennis or head to the ocean for an hour-long surf, I may add a 20g protein shake (one banana, a couple small apples and 1 scoop of high-quality beef or pea protein).

Fish, dairy and vegetarian substitutes for lean meat

Seafood — such as a salmon filet, canned tuna or frozen shrimp — can each substitute nicely for chicken/turkey. To avoid animal protein entirely, protein from tofu, peas, chickpeas, eggs and beans — lots and lots of beans — is easy and relatively inexpensive to make into tasty meals.

Dairy — If you enjoy dairy, protein from milk and cheese can be significant. I recently started using Fairlife milk because it has 50% more protein and 50% less sugar than regular milk — about 13g per cup. (I receive nothing from Fairlife for mentioning the brand.) Here’s a helpful list (in reverse order, mind you) of high-protein cheeses, many of which are easily found at your supermarket.

Other considerations when assembling a protein-sufficient daily diet

Know your special protein needs. If you’re an intermittent faster or athlete, or are recovering from an injury or dealing with a chronic condition, your protein needs may need some bespoke tailoring.
Spending one week reading food labels for everything you eat will give you a baseline for understanding grams and ounces, the two measurements you need to figure out how much protein your body likely needs.
Dose your protein intake properly. Your body can absorb only around 35 to 45g protein per meal (that’s roughly the protein from one chicken breast, depending on size). So, don’t focus only on total protein per day but rather aim for at least 30g of protein per meal, spread evenly throughout the day. This approach supports optimal muscle health and function.
Protein supplies oxygen to red blood cells, giving you more energy when you work out. So getting enough into your body before you exercise has a benefit.
Pay special attention to leucine-rich foods. Leucine is an amino acid that is crucial for muscle preservation. Good sources include dairy products, eggs, beef, lamb, poultry and fish.
No gender differences. When it comes to protein needs, gender doesn't play a significant role. So whether you're a man or woman over 45, your protein needs are likely similar if you weigh the same.

Bottom line: As you age, your protein needs increase. Whether you're an athlete or not, getting enough high-quality protein is crucial for maintaining muscle mass, which, like physical exercise, is a necessary condition to age with strength.