How much protein do you really need after 40?

Muscle is one of the strongest predictors of healthy ageing. It protects your joints and bones, stores the glucose from your meals, and keeps you independent. And from around 40, most people start losing it, slowly at first, faster after 60. Protein is one of the two levers that slow that down. The other is strength training.

The official number is a minimum

The standard recommendation is 0.8 g of protein per kg of bodyweight a day. That figure was set to prevent deficiency in healthy adults. It wasn't designed to maintain muscle as you age, and it doesn't account for training.

An expert group convened for older adults (PROT-AGE) recommended 1.0–1.2 g/kg for people over 65, and 1.2–1.5 g/kg for those who are active or recovering from illness. For active adults from midlife, 1.2–1.6 g/kg is a sensible target. For a 75 kg person, that's roughly 90–120 g a day.

Why age changes the maths

Older muscles respond less strongly to protein, a phenomenon called anabolic resistance. In practice, it means you need a bit more protein per meal to get the same muscle-building signal. Around 30 g per meal, or about 0.4 g/kg, is a good rule of thumb.

Many people eat most of their protein at dinner and very little at breakfast. Spreading it more evenly across three meals is an easy win.

What 30 g looks like

• 3 eggs plus a pot of Greek yoghurt
• A chicken breast or salmon fillet (about 150 g)
• 250 g of skyr or quark
• A tin of tuna plus a glass of milk
• 200 g of tofu plus a portion of lentils
• A scoop of protein powder in a smoothie with milk

Plant proteins are slightly less efficient, so if you eat mostly plants, aim about 20 % higher and mix sources (beans, lentils, soy, grains, nuts).

Is more protein bad for your kidneys?

For people with healthy kidneys, intakes in this range haven't been shown to cause harm. If you have kidney disease, talk to your doctor or a dietitian before increasing protein.

Protein works best with training

Protein without resistance training does much less for your muscles. Two or three strength sessions a week, combined with enough protein, is the pairing with the strongest evidence for keeping muscle as you age.

In the journal: your protein target goes on your nutrition plan, page 20. "Protein at every meal" is one of the most useful Foundational boxes.

Sources: Bauer et al., PROT-AGE Study Group, Journal of the American Medical Directors Association 2013 · Morton et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine 2018 · Paddon-Jones & Rasmussen, Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care 2009.