It’s hard enough to be healthy, but when seemingly informed reporters suggest you’re putting your body in danger by overeating protein, it makes it even harder to know what to eat.
First, research suggests that higher amounts of protein are safe and support healthy living, muscle gain, fat loss, and aging. The author of a recent Vox article on the subject based a lot of the story on the National Academy of Sciences’ Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein, which is 0.8 g/kg (0.36 g/lb). However, as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Pump Club points out, this guideline was established in 1980, so it ignores the last four decades of research. An essential part of science is evolving as we learn.
We’ve learned a lot over the last 40 years, and despite claims in the article that you don’t need to worry about getting enough protein unless you’re “pretty ambitious about bodybuilding,” everyone benefits by making protein a priority.
Updated Research on Protein Consumption
Updated systematic reviews and meta-analyses (you can read them here and here) — the most valued studies that represent data from multiple studies and provide protein requirements across a range of populations (untrained, resistance-trained, younger, and older adults) — have arrived at a similar conclusion: the “sweet spot” of daily protein intake for clinical health, body composition, and exercise performance requires you to eat 100 percent more protein per day than what’s suggested by the outdated RDA recommendation.
Consuming double the RDA (1.6 g/kg or 0.7 g/lb) ensures the capacity to build muscle and strength in energy surplus conditions and retain muscle mass in hypocaloric (dieting) conditions. The clinical benefits of eating double the protein of the RDA in weight loss scenarios include greater blood glucose control and blood lipid profile improvements compared to lower amounts. Importantly, this guideline applies to older adults in the 60s, 70s, and beyond, the fastest-growing population worldwide.
It’s worth noting that protein requirements can be even greater if you want to optimize athletic outcomes when you’re eating fewer calories. A systematic review determined that in lean, resistance-trained athletes sustaining an energy deficit, eating 2.3 to 3.1 g/kg of fat-free mass (approximately 1.9-2.6 g/kg, or 0.9-1.2 g/lb of total bodyweight) was required to preserve muscle mass.
If you want to consume the lowest amount of protein while prioritizing your health, a research-based case can be built for a daily protein intake ranging from 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg (0.54-0.7 g/kg). This is for the general population interested in maintaining health but not necessarily optimizing muscle maintenance or growth. If this is your goal, you should still eat at least 50 percent more protein than what was claimed in the Vox article. And remember, research suggests that higher-protein diets do not cause kidney problems, so there’s no need to fear that outcome.
Does the Source of the Protein Matter?
Recent research suggests that plant-based and animal-based proteins might deliver similar results. The study was fairly simple: participants were randomly assigned to either an omnivorous or plant-based diet. The scientists made sure the plant-based group ate plant-based protein high in leucine, an essential amino acid that plays a vital role in muscle growth but tends to be lower in vegetarian or vegan protein options.
The researchers found similar muscle gains and strength increases on the deadlift and squat for people following an omnivorous diet and a plant-based plan. Regardless of your dietary preferences, the key to seeing results is making sure you eat enough protein to fuel your muscle and strength goals. Animal proteins have more essential amino acids, so plant-based diets usually need to eat a little more total protein to compensate.
Other than that small difference, it’s up to you what source of protein you want to enjoy. Good plant-based protein sources include beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu and tempeh, and nutritional yeast (there are many other options too). Supplemental protein options include things such as pea protein, soy protein, or mycoprotein (which is what was used in the study).
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