The official protein reference intake sits at 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight each day, the same figure most nutrition labels and doctors point to. For adults over 60, a growing body of research says that number falls short of what is needed to hold on to muscle.
A 12-week randomized trial published in Frontiers in Nutrition in May 2025 tested the standard 0.8 g/kg diet against a moderately higher 1.2 g/kg diet in 126 women aged 60 to 75 with sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength. The higher-protein group gained more handgrip strength, lost more fat, and preserved muscle better than the group following the standard recommendation.
Handgrip strength in the 1.2 g/kg group rose from 18.12 to 21.46 kilograms over the 12 weeks, compared with a smaller gain in the 0.8 g/kg group. Fat mass fell by 2.96 kilograms in the higher-protein group, more than double the 1.28-kilogram reduction seen with the standard diet. Both groups ate the same 1,800 daily calories.
Where the 0.8 g/kg figure came from
The 0.8 g/kg reference is rooted in nitrogen balance studies that had limited representation of older adults. A review of sarcopenia prevention notes that this level is "based on the lowest amount of protein required to maintain a neutral nitrogen balance" and reflects the minimum to avoid deficiency, not the intake that best protects aging muscle.
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International consensus has moved higher. The PROT-AGE Study Group, assembled by the European Union Geriatric Medicine Society, recommends an "average daily intake at least in the range of 1.0 to 1.2 g protein per kilogram of body weight per day" for people over 65.
The same panel advises 1.2 to 1.5 g/kg for older adults with acute or chronic disease, and at least 1.2 g/kg for those who are physically active. The European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) issued a matching recommendation of 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg for healthy older adults and 1.2 to 1.5 g/kg for those who are ill or at nutritional risk.
Why older muscle needs more
The mechanism behind the higher target is anabolic resistance, a reduced ability of aging muscle to build new tissue from the protein in a meal. A review in Nutrients on strategies to prevent sarcopenia describes it as "a diminished response to the stimulating effects of protein synthesis from strength exercise and protein intake."
Older adults need roughly twice as much protein per meal as younger adults to trigger the same muscle-building signal, which is why a total intake that works for a 30-year-old can leave a 70-year-old slowly losing tissue.
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What 1.2 g/kg looks like on the plate
For a 70-kilogram adult, 1.2 g/kg works out to about 84 grams of protein a day. That can be built from ordinary food: a couple of eggs at breakfast, a cup of Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, a portion of chicken, fish or tofu at dinner, and a serving of legumes or beans across the day.
Spreading protein across meals matters more than piling it into one, since each meal has to clear the anabolic-resistance threshold on its own.
Higher protein is not right for everyone. The PROT-AGE panel flags severe kidney disease, defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate below 30 mL/min/1.73 m2, as an exception where intake may need to be limited. Anyone with kidney disease or advanced chronic illness should talk to their doctor before raising protein above the standard recommendation.
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