High Protein Archives - Health Tips From The Professor

Protein – The Longevity Nutrient

October 7, 2025 by Dr. Steve Chaney

How Much Protein Do You Need?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

In 2016 the New York Times ran an article with the title, “Can You Get Too Much Protein?” The article asserted that most Americans were getting too much protein in their diet and that protein supplements were useless and perhaps dangerous.

At the time I wrote a “Health Tips From the Professor” article summarizing recent research showing that many people needed more than the RDA for protein and that those people were often consuming too little, rather than too much, protein.

In the 9 years since then the evidence that many Americans may not be getting enough protein has only gotten stronger.

The standard for protein intake used to be a “one size fits all” recommendation of 46g gm/day for women and 56 gm/day for men with slight increases recommended for pregnant and lactating women. Today we know:

- That standard was based on outdated methodology from the 1930’s. Recent studies suggest protein intake should be at least 50% higher.

- That standard was based on studies with healthy, sedentary adults (the adult “couch potato” crowd). Protein requirements are significantly higher for anyone who doesn’t fit that description.

We used to think in terms of total daily protein intake. Today we know that:

- Protein intake should be divided equally between the 3 primary meals.

- Protein quality is important. Protein requirements should be increased if low-quality proteins are consumed.

We used to worry that high protein intake might damage your kidneys. Today we know that:

- Protein intake does not cause kidney disease. It is not a concern as long as hydration is adequate and excess alcohol is avoided.

- Protein intake is only a concern if someone has kidney disease.

Protein – Your Longevity Nutrient

If you want to delve into the latest protein research and what it means for you, I highly recommend the book, “Forever Strong: A New, Science-Based Strategy For Aging Well” by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon.

Her book is focused on helping each of us create adequate healthy muscle mass. She says, “Adequate muscle mass is essential for health and longevity. And muscle is the only organ over which we have voluntary and complete control.”

Of course, adequate muscle mass requires both exercise and adequate protein. Dr. Lyon covers both in her book, but exercise is not my expertise, so I will only cover adequate protein intake in this “Health Tips From the Professor” article.

In her book, Dr. Lyons details recent research on the amount of protein needed to optimize muscle mass. Dr. Lyon was the one who alerted me to the fact that the current protein RDA is based on outdated methodology from the 1930’s and that actual protein needs are much higher.

Dr. Lyon concludes that most Americans are not consuming enough protein to optimize their muscle mass and that adequate protein intake is essential for longevity, metabolic function, and quality of life. Specifically, she says that optimal muscle mass:

Improves strength and mobility.
Improves blood sugar control.
Decreases blood triglyceride levels.
Strengthens the immune system.
Improves bone mineral density and strength.
Reduces all-cause mortality (risk of dying) and morbidity (risk of disease).

I will use the latest science on protein needs described in her book and in recently published clinical studies to answer the important question, “How much protein do you need?” But first I want to help you understand the dynamics of protein metabolism.

The Dynamics Of Protein Metabolism

Most people associate muscle mass with strength and endurance. Many understand the important role muscle mass plays in burning off excess calories and keeping us slim. But few people understand the important role that muscle protein plays in our everyday energy metabolism.

Whenever we eat a meal containing protein, we store some of the protein we eat as increased muscle mass, especially when protein intake is coupled with exercise. But muscle protein plays other very important functions. It is a precious resource.

The synthesis of new muscle in the fed state is driven by:

Insulin, which is released into the blood stream whenever we eat a meal.

Exercise because it makes muscle more sensitive to the effects of insulin.

The amino acid leucine, which is most abundant in high quality protein sources.

In the fed state most of our energy is derived from blood glucose. This is primarily controlled by insulin. As blood glucose levels fall, we move to the fasting state and start to call on our stored energy sources to keep our body functioning. This process is primarily controlled by a hormone called glucagon.

In the fasting state most tissues easily switch to using fat as their main energy source, but…

- Red blood cells and a few other tissues in the body are totally dependent on glucose as an energy source.

- Our brain is normally dependent on glucose as an energy source, and our brains use a lot of energy. [Note: Our brain can switch to ketones as an energy source with prolonged starvation or prolonged carbohydrate restriction, but that’s another story for another day.]

Because our brain and other tissues need glucose in the fasting state, it is important to maintain a constant blood glucose level between meals.

- Initially, blood glucose levels are maintained by calling on carbohydrate reserves in the liver.

- But because those reserves are limited, our body starts to break down muscle protein and convert it to glucose as well – even in the normal dinner/sleep/breakfast cycle.

Simply put, in addition to its other important roles in the body, muscle protein is also an energy store. You can think of it like a bank.

When we eat, we make a deposit to that energy store. Between meals we make a withdrawal from that energy store. When we are young the system works perfectly. Unless we fast for prolonged periods of time, we are always adding enough muscle protein in the fed state to balance out the withdrawals between meals.

But there are many physiological situations where protein metabolism becomes unbalanced, either because protein breakdown is accelerated or because protein synthesis is diminished. In each of those situations, our protein needs are increased.

I will describe each of these situations and how they affect our protein needs in the section below.

How Much Protein Do You Need?

The Coach Potato Group: If this is you, I won’t be judgmental. But I highly recommend you read Dr. Lyon’s book. It may just inspire you to increase your fitness level and your protein intake.

As I said before the standard RDA recommendation for the coach potato group is 46 gm/day for women and 56 gm/day for men. That’s based on 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight and assumes that women weigh around 127 pounds and men weigh around 155 pounds.

There are two major problems with the standard protein RDAs:

1) The protein RDA should not be a “one-size-fits-all” recommendation. The standard used to calculate the RDA is based on weight. If you are a woman weighing 127 pounds or a man weighing 155 pounds, you are to be congratulated. But in today’s world the average woman weighs 170 pounds, and the average man weighs 201 pounds.

That means the average protein requirement should be 61 gm/day for women and 72 gm/day for men.

And that’s just the average. Your protein requirement is based on your weight.

2) As I mentioned earlier, the 0.36 gm/pound standard is based on outdated methodology from the 1930’s. Based on current technology, Dr. Lyon says the standard should be closer to 0.54 gm/pound.

If you use that standard and use the current average weight for men and women, the average protein requirement for the couch potato group is closer to 91.5 gm/day for women and 108 gm/day for men.

And since protein intake should be divided equally between meals, that amounts to 30 gm/meal for women and 36 gm/meal for men. If you weigh significantly more or less than the average American, you should adjust your intake accordingly.

The Over 50 Group: When we are young muscle protein deposits in the fed state and muscle protein withdrawals during the fasting state are in balance. And if we add exercise and increase our protein intake, it’s pretty easy to increase our muscle mass.

But once we reach our Golden Years things start to change. Muscle protein synthesis becomes less efficient. We need to increase the intensity of our workouts and increase our protein intake just to maintain our muscle mass.

If we fail to do that, we gradually lose muscle mass as we age, a process referred to as sarcopenia. Between 50 and 60 we lose 5-8% of our muscle mass, and the rate that we lose muscle accelerates with each subsequent decade. And that loss of muscle mass has severe consequences. For example:

It interferes with daily activities like playing with our grandchildren and engaging in activities we love.

It decreases our metabolic rate which increases our risk of obesity and obesity-related diseases.

It increases our risk of falls.

In short, our quality of life is diminished, and we become unhealthy and frail.

Dr. Lyon describes the training program needed to prevent sarcopenia as we age in her book Forever Strong. But we also need more protein.

On average older adults need around 35 – 45 gm of protein per meal to prevent sarcopenia. There are not enough published studies for me to provide more specific recommendations. But here are some guidelines:

If you are at ideal weight and in your 50’s or 60’s, you can probably do well at the lower end of the range.

If you are overweight or in your 70’s or 80’s, you should probably aim for the upper end of the range.

I recommend getting a body composition test on an annual basis and adjusting your exercise and protein intake based on your change in muscle mass. My doctor has a simple device for measuring my body composition as part of my annual physical. If your doctor doesn’t have a device like that, find out who does in your community.

The Weight Loss Group: If you are actively trying to lose excess weight, I congratulate you. But the sad fact is that up to 35% of weight loss on most diets comes from muscle, not fat.

That’s because your body interprets caloric restriction as starvation and increases the rate of protein breakdown.

But you can prevent that by adding resistance training to your diet plan and increasing your protein intake. By increasing your protein intake from 15% of calories (which is what most Americans get) to 30% of calories, you can rebalance muscle metabolism by increasing muscle protein synthesis. When you do this, you can reduce muscle loss to less than 10% of weight loss.

You may be wondering, “Why set the recommendation as a percentage of calories rather than gm/pound or gm/meal”. The answer is simple. Your caloric intake changes significantly you are on a diet, so expressing protein as a percentage of calories makes more sense.

For example, 30% of calories on a 1,000-calorie diet translates into 25-30 gm/meal. You might look at that recommendation and say, “That’s less than you recommended for the couch potato who is not trying to lose weight.” My answer would be, “Yes, but the couch potato is eating 2-3-times more calories.

So, the recommendation that’s easiest to understand if you are trying to lose weight is to aim for 25-30 gm of protein/meal/1,000 calories per day.

Adjust your protein intake per meal based on the daily calories allowed on your diet.

And if you are on a diet that restricts the kinds of food that you can eat or the amount of time you can eat, track your actual caloric intake for a few days. The “hidden secret” behind those diets is that most people eat fewer calories because of the restrictions.

Final thought: The latest data suggest that GLP-1 drugs accelerate the muscle loss associated with dieting. This is a significant concern, especially for people over 50. Some experts are recommending as much as 35-50 gm of protein/meal if you are using a GLP-1 drug to aid your weight loss.

The Fitness Group: The question I get most often from the fitness group is, “How much protein do I need after my workout to maximize recovery and muscle gain?” This has been well researched, and the answer is age dependent.

If you are in your 30’s, most experts recommend 15-20 grams of protein after your workout.

If you are in your 60s, most experts recommend 30-35 grams of protein after your workout.

While precise recommendations are not available for every age, you can extrapolate from these numbers.

Does Protein Quality Matter?

I’m often asked whether all proteins are equally effective at building muscle mass or does protein quality matter? The answer is, “Yes. Protein quality matters, but not in the way that we have thought about it in the past.”

We used to think that protein quality was measured by the balance of all the essential amino acids. While balance is important, the increase in muscle mass is driven primarily by the amino acid leucine. That’s because leucine is the only amino acid that directly stimulates muscle protein synthesis.

Simply put, proteins that are high in leucine are used more efficiently by our bodies to increase muscle mass. In fact, Dr. Lyon measures protein quality solely based on its leucine content.

Many studies have looked at the optimal amount of leucine content in protein. The numbers vary somewhat from study to study, but they average around 1 gram of leucine for every 10 grams of protein.

If you look at the leucine contents of various proteins, it is clear that a 1:10 ratio is primarily found in animal proteins. Soybeans are the only vegetable protein source that comes close.However, there are many health reasons for consuming a primarily plant-based diet. Dr. Lyon doesn’t tell her patients to avoid plant proteins. But if they are consuming primarily plant proteins, she recommends that they increase their protein intake by 35-45%, so they will be getting enough leucine to maximize muscle protein synthesis.

What Role Do Protein Supplements Play?

Remember that New York Times article that said protein supplements were useless and perhaps dangerous? That’s outdated advice. In fact, you should view protein supplements as essential for reaching your protein goals.

That’s because our protein intake needs to be divided equally between our 3 major meals, but that’s not how we eat. Most of us have no trouble getting 30-40 grams of protein at dinner, but…

We only get around 15 grams of protein at breakfast, and…

15-20 grams of protein at lunch.

But that’s assuming we eat a typical breakfast or lunch. If we eat…

An unhealthy breakfast of croissants and coffee or a healthy breakfast of cornflakes, skim milk, and fruit slices, we only get around 6 grams of protein.

A healthy green salad for lunch, we may get as little as 2 grams of protein.

A recent study has shown that adding a protein supplement to your low protein meals can help you increase your muscle mass in as little as 24 weeks.

What Does This Mean For You?

Protein is your longevity nutrient. My advice is:

Use the information in this article to set your protein goals (Talk with your doctor first if you have any health issues that may limit your protein intake).

Use a simple protein tracker to identify your low-protein meals.

Add additional protein foods or supplements to your low-protein meals to bring your protein up to recommended levels.

Focus on high-leucine protein foods and supplements. (If you eat more plant protein than animal protein, as I do, increase your recommended protein intake by 35-45% to make sure you are getting the leucine you need to maximize your muscle mass.)

As for what kind of protein supplement, I recommend a plant protein supplement with added leucine.

The Bottom Line

In her book, “Forever Strong”, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon says, “Adequate muscle mass is essential for health and longevity. And muscle is the only organ over which we have voluntary and complete control.” She goes on to state that the current RDAs for protein intake are outdated. And if we look at protein needs based on the latest research, most Americans aren’t getting enough protein in their diet to achieve adequate muscle mass.

In this article, I summarize her findings. And based on the latest research, I provide protein intake recommendations for:

Adult couch potatoes.
Fitness enthusiasts.
People over 50.
People who are trying to lose weight.

I also discuss protein quality and protein supplements.

For more information on these topics and what they mean for you, read the article above.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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My posts and “Health Tips From the Professor” articles carefully avoid claims about any brand of supplement or manufacturer of supplements. However, I am often asked by representatives of supplement companies if they can share them with their customers.

My answer is, “Yes, as long as you share only the article without any additions or alterations. In particular, you should avoid adding any mention of your company or your company’s products. If you were to do that, you could be making what the FTC and FDA consider a “misleading health claim” that could result in legal action against you and the company you represent.

For more detail about FTC regulations for health claims, see this link.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/health-products-compliance-guidance

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About The Author

Dr. Chaney won numerous teaching awards at UNC, including the Academy of Educators “Excellence in Teaching Lifetime Achievement Award”.

Dr Chaney also ran an active cancer research program at UNC and published over 100 scientific articles and reviews in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, he authored two chapters on nutrition in one of the leading biochemistry text books for medical students.

Since retiring from the University of North Carolina, he has been writing a weekly health blog called “Health Tips From the Professor”. He has also written two best-selling books, “Slaying the Food Myths” and “Slaying the Supplement Myths”. And most recently he has created an online lifestyle change course, “Create Your Personal Health Zone”. For more information visit https://chaneyhealth.com.

For the past 53 years Dr. Chaney and his wife Suzanne have been helping people improve their health holistically through a combination of good diet, exercise, weight control and appropriate supplementation.

Is Extra Protein Important For Seniors?

August 20, 2025 by Dr. Steve Chaney

The Role Of Muscle Protein In Energy Metabolism

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

We’ve been told, “It’s all downhill after 30.” That may or may not be true depending on the lifestyle choices we make.

But for muscle mass, “It’s all downhill after 50!” Simply put, we start to lose muscle mass at an accelerating pace after 50, a process scientists call sarcopenia.

Sarcopenia should be a major concern for everyone over 50. Loss of muscle mass:

Causes unsteadiness which can lead to falls, bone fractures, and death.

Increases the risk of obesity because muscle burns more calories than fat. That increases our risk of obesity-related diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, osteoarthritis, and other inflammatory diseases.

Robs us of the fun activities we would like to enjoy in our golden years.

But sarcopenia is not inevitable. As I have discussed in previous issues of “Health Tips From the Professor”, there are three things we can do to minimize sarcopenia as we age.

Get adequate weight-bearing exercise. In other words, pump iron or use your body weight for exercise on a regular basis.

Get adequate protein.

Get adequate amounts of the branched-chain amino acid leucine.

In this article I will focus on the last two, especially the fact that we need more protein and leucine to prevent loss of muscle mass as we age. To help you understand why that is, I am going to share my favorite topic – Metabolism 101 (Once a biochemistry professor, always a biochemistry professor).

Metabolism 101: The Role Of Muscle Protein In Energy Metabolism

Let’s start with an overview of metabolism [Note: If you are not interested the details, you can just skip over the bullets and read the take-home message at the bottom of this section.]

We get energy from the carbohydrate, fat, and protein we consume. Excess carbohydrate, fat, and protein in our meals are stored to provide the energy our body needs between meals and during prolonged fasting.

- We have a virtually unlimited ability to store fat, as some of you may have noticed.

- We have a very limited ability to store carbohydrates in the form of glycogen in our liver.

- Muscles are our largest organ system, and we can store some of the protein we eat as increased muscle mass, especially when protein intake is coupled with exercise. But muscle protein plays other very important functions. It is a precious resource.

In the fed state most of our energy is derived from blood glucose. This is primarily controlled by insulin. As blood glucose levels fall, we move to the fasting state and start to call on our stored energy sources to keep our body functioning. This process is primarily controlled by a hormone called glucagon.

- In the fasting state most tissues easily switch to using fat as their main energy source, but…

- - Red blood cells and a few other tissues in the body are totally dependent on glucose as an energy source.

- - Initially our brain is totally dependent on glucose as an energy source, and our brains use a lot of energy. [Note: Our brain can switch to ketones as an energy source with prolonged starvation or prolonged carbohydrate restriction, but that’s another story for another day.]

Because our brain and other tissues need glucose in the fasting state, it is important to maintain a constant blood glucose level between meals.

- Initially, blood glucose levels are maintained by calling on the glycogen reserves in the liver.

- But because these reserves are limited, our body starts to break down muscle protein and convert it to glucose as well – even in the normal dinner/sleep/breakfast cycle.

You may have found the explanation above was excessive, but I couldn’t think of a simpler way of helping you understand that in addition to its other important role in the body, muscle protein is also an energy store.

When we eat, we make a deposit to that energy store. Between meals we withdraw from that energy store. When we are young the system works perfectly. Unless we fast for prolonged periods of time, we are always adding enough muscle protein in the fed state to balance out the withdrawals between meals.

But as we age, our ability to build muscle in the fed state becomes less efficient. Withdrawals exceed deposits, and we experience age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia).

What We Know About Preventing Age-Related Muscle Loss

As I said above, there are three things needed to prevent age-related muscle loss:

Adequate resistance exercise.
Adequate amounts of protein.
Adequate amounts of the essential, branched-chain amino acid called leucine.

And, as I said above, I am going to focus on the last two.

In previous issues of “Health Tips From the Professor” I have shared articles showing that the amount of both protein and leucine needed to maximize the gain in muscle mass following a meal or a workout increase as we age. For example.

For someone in their 30s, 15-25 grams of protein with 1.7 grams of leucine per meal is optimal.

But someone in their 60’s and 70s needs 25-30 grams of protein and 2.5-2.7 grams of leucine per meal to achieve the same effect.

Most of these studies have been done with men, but a recent study showed the results are identical with post-menopausal women.

However, previous studies have not addressed whether we need protein supplementation to achieve adequate protein intake or what kind of protein supplements were best. The studies I will discuss today were designed to answer these questions.

How Were These Studies Done?

Study #1: As I said above, previous studies have suggested that 25-30 grams of protein per meal is optimal for preventing age-related loss of muscle mass in seniors. However, many seniors get most of their protein in their evening meal. On average, seniors consume

8-15 grams of protein at breakfast, 15-20 grams of protein at lunch, and 30-40 grams of protein at dinner.

This study (C Norton et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 146: 65-67, 2016) was designed to ask whether optimizing protein intake at each meal by adding a protein supplement at breakfast and lunch would increase lean muscle mass in seniors over a 24 week period.

The investigators recruited 60 adults, aged 50-70 (average age = 61) from the city of Limerick, Ireland. The participants were 73% women and had an average BMI of 25.8 (slightly overweight).

The participants were randomly assigned to receive either a milk-based supplement or an isocaloric, non-protein-containing, maltodextrin control. The protein supplement provided 20 grams of protein. The participants were instructed not to change any other aspect of their diet or activity level.

The protein supplement and placebo were provided in identical sachets, and the participants were told to mix them with water and consume them with breakfast and lunch. The protein supplement and placebo looked and tasted identical, so the subjects did not know which group they were in. Compliance was assessed by collecting the used sachets at the end of the study.

The participants completed 4-day diet recalls under the supervision of a dietitian before and during the study. Lean muscle mass was determined prior to and at the end of the 24-week study.

Study #2: This study (J McKendry et al, The American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.05.009) was designed to determine whether the ability to stimulate muscle protein synthesis depended on the type of supplemental protein.

This study was built on the results of the first study. Specifically, the investigators compared the effect on muscle protein synthesis of adding 25 grams of whey, pea, or collagen protein to breakfast and lunch meals.

The investigators enrolled 31 healthy, older (average age = 72) subjects from the Hamilton, Ontario area. Subjects were excluded from the study if:

They had a medical condition or were taking any medication that might influence the results.
They used tobacco or tobacco related products.
They consumed a vegan or vegetarian diet
They used a walking device or were inactive for any reason.

The participants were placed on a standardized diet consisting of prepackaged meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and a mix of fruits, vegetables, snacks, and drinks. They were instructed to only eat the foods provided to them and to maintain their normal activity levels.

The diet was designed to provide the RDA for protein (0.8 gram of protein/kilogram of body weight) and to mimic the habitual dietary patterns of seniors in the United States and Canada.

Around 55% carbohydrate, 30% fat, and 15% protein.
Uneven distribution of protein throughout the day (19% at breakfast, 26% at lunch, and 55% at dinner).

After one week on the control diet, participants were randomly assigned to receive 25-gram protein supplements of either whey, pea, or collagen protein and instructed to add them to their standardized diet for breakfast and lunch (total daily protein intake was increased by 50 grams/day). They followed this regimen for 7 days.

On day one and 7 of the control phase and day 7 of the intervention phase (when the participants were consuming additional protein) muscle biopsies were obtained 90 minutes after breakfast for determination of the effect of the meal on muscle protein synthesis.

[Note: The participants were consuming a protein supplement containing an additional 25 grams of protein at both breakfast and lunch. But the effect of this additional protein on muscle protein synthesis was only determined after the breakfast meal.]

Is Extra Protein Important For Seniors?

Each of the studies provided important insights for anyone wanting to minimize age-related muscle loss.

Study #1: The effect of the 20-gram whey protein supplement for breakfast and lunch as follows:

Protein supplementation at breakfast and lunch resulted in a 1.3-pound gain in lean body mass over 24 weeks compared to the control group using an isocaloric, non-protein containing maltodextrin supplement.

The authors concluded, “Protein supplementation at breakfast and lunch for 24 weeks in healthy older adults resulted in a positive (1.3 pound) difference in lean muscle mass compared with an isoenergetic, non-nitrogenous maltodextrin control. These observations suggest that an optimized and balanced distribution of [supplemental] protein intakes could be beneficial in the preservation of lean tissue mass in the elderly.”

Note:

This study did not show that these protein levels were optimal. It only showed that using a protein supplement to increase protein intake at breakfast and lunch was beneficial for seniors consuming most of their protein at dinner.

Study #2: The effect of the three 25-gram protein supplements at breakfast and lunch on protein intake was as follows:

Adding 25 grams of either whey or pea protein to a relatively low-protein (15 grams) breakfast increased muscle protein synthesis by ~9%.

Adding 25 grams of collagen to the same low-protein breakfast had no effect on muscle protein synthesis.

Note: This study did not measure the effect of adding supplemental protein to lunch meal, but the results were probably similar.

The authors concluded, “We discovered that the RDA [for protein] was insufficient to support higher rates of MPS [muscle protein synthesis] in older adults. Manipulating dietary protein to increase daily consumption of higher quality – whey and pea but not collagen – proteins by targeting the lowest protein-containing meals offers a viable strategy to enhance…MPS [muscle protein synthesis] in older adults.”

“Consuming protein much closer to expert group consensus recommendations [1.2 gm/kg instead of the current 0.8 gm/kg for adults over 50] may help to increase…MPS [muscle protein synthesis] with advancing age and extend health-span – compressing the years of disease and disability commonly experienced by older individuals closer to the end of life.”

My comments are:

You may recall from the previous discussion that age-related muscle loss occurs because muscle protein synthesis (MPS) becomes less efficient as we age.

- Therefore, an increase in muscle protein synthesis following each meal will lead to an increase in muscle mass over time, as was seen in the first study.

In our 60’s and beyond we require higher amounts of both protein and leucine to maximize muscle protein synthesis.

- The collagen supplement used in this study provided enough supplemental protein. But it probably was ineffective because it only provided 0.86 grams of leucine.

- - The amount of leucine in the control diet was not specified, but with only 15 grams of protein for breakfast there was probably enough leucine to make up for the lack of leucine in the collagen supplement.

- In contrast the whey and pea supplements provided 2.7 and 2.1 grams of leucine, respectively. When added to the leucine in the control diet, this would be more than enough to drive muscle protein synthesis.

Not every pea protein supplement may be as effective as the one used in this study. When I looked it up, it was described as an “enriched pea protein designed as a soy and milk alternative.” The manufacturer did not say how it was “enriched”, but I suspect it was enriched by adding extra leucine.

What Do These Studies Mean For You?

Don’t Leave Out Resistant Exercise. These studies were focused on the timing and quality of protein. But don’t forget that adequate protein and leucine are only two of the requirements for preventing age-related muscle loss. The third, and arguably the most important, is resistance exercise.

Aim for at least three 30-minute resistance exercise sessions per week. If you have physical limitations consult with your health professional about the type, duration, and intensity of resistance exercise that is right for you.

Forget What You Have Been Told About Protein. You have been told that American consume too much protein. That’s probably true for the average couch potato. But it is not true for seniors. The average American does consume too much of the wrong kind of protein, but that’s another story for another day.

You have been told that the average woman only needs 46 grams of protein per day, and the average man needs only 56 grams of protein per day. That’s based on the RDA of 0.8 gm/kg (0.36 gm/pound) and an average weight of 127 pounds for women and 155 pounds for men.

We haven’t weighed that since the 50’s. Today the average woman weighs 170 pounds, and the average man weighs 201 pounds. That means protein intake should be at least 61 gm/day for women and 72 gm/day for men.

But that’s only if you are in your twenties or thirties. The consensus among those who study protein needs in seniors is that the RDA should be 1.2 gm/kg (0.54 gm/pound) for adults over 50. That’s 91 gram/day and 108 grams/day, respectively, for average weight women and men.

With that perspective, it is easy to understand the recommendation that seniors get 25-30 grams of protein and 2.5-2.7 grams of leucine per meal.

These studies did not address leucine intake, but they suggest that optimal protein intake may be closer to 30-40 grams of protein per meal. That’s 90-120 grams of protein day. But that is probably not what you are hearing from your doctor.

Why Is Supplemental Protein Important? It’s easy to say that seniors should get 30-40 grams of protein per meal, but that’s not the way most seniors eat.

When I was a child growing up in Alabama the standard breakfast was eggs, ham, grits with ham gravy and biscuits. I’m not saying that it was a healthy breakfast, but it was the standard breakfast where I lived at the time. And it provided plenty of protein.

In today’s world most seniors have been told to avoid eggs and red meat. Breakfasts are more likely to be some type of cereal with a fruit garnish and perhaps some toast. That’s a much healthier breakfast, but it’s a low-protein breakfast. That’s why most seniors only get 8-15 grams of protein at breakfast time.

I won’t go into lunches, but similar transformations have taken place at lunch time, which is why most seniors only get 15-20 grams of protein at lunch.

And many seniors get even less protein at breakfast and lunch. For example:A cup of coffee and a croissant or a “healthier” bowl of cornflakes and skim milk at breakfast only provides 6 grams of protein.

A healthy green salad at lunch only provides 2 grams of protein.

In cases like this, the protein supplements may need to provide 30-40 grams of protein rather than the 20-25 grams of protein used in these studies.

So, if you want to avoid age-related muscle loss you have two choices:

Completely change your diet and incorporate more healthy protein foods into your breakfast and lunch menus or…

Add a protein supplement to your low-protein meals. The studies I have described above suggest that 20-25 grams of supplemental protein may be sufficient to transform a low-protein meal into one that will support muscle protein synthesis and minimize age-related muscle loss.

And if your breakfast and lunches are very low in protein, 30-40 grams of supplemental protein may be necessary to optimize protein intake.

Why Is Protein Quality Important? The second study shows that having enough protein is not sufficient to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. It must be high quality protein.

The authors of the study suggested that collagen did not stimulate muscle protein synthesis due to its low leucine content.

And, as I mentioned earlier, the pea protein used in the study was “enriched” so it could be used as a “whey or soy alternate”, and the “enrichment” probably included adding extra leucine.

So, if you are planning to use a plant protein supplement with your low-protein meal(s), I would recommend choosing one with added leucine.

How Much Protein Is Too Much? That depends on your age. If you are in your 20s or 30s, the ability of a protein meal and/or supplement to stimulate muscle protein synthesis begins to plateau at around 30 grams of protein, so there is little advantage to protein intakes above 30 grams at one time.

But if you are a senior, you use protein less efficiently. These and other studies with seniors suggest that 30-40 grams of protein per meal may be optimal.

However, high protein intake can be risky for some. The risk is smaller than you have been told, but it is not zero. Here are my recommendations:

If your physician has told you to limit protein intake, follow their advice.

If you are unsure about the health of your kidneys, consult with your physician before increasing your protein intake.

Keep adequately hydrated. Byproducts of protein metabolism can stress your kidneys if you are dehydrated.

What About An After-Workout Supplement? Previous studies have shown that the numbers are about the same for after-workout supplements.

For someone in their 30s, 15-25 grams of protein with 1.7 grams of leucine per meal is enough to maximize muscle gain after a workout.

But someone in their 60s or 70s needs at least 25-30 grams of protein and 2.5-2.7 grams of leucine per meal to maximize muscle gain.

One Final Pearl

At the very beginning of this article, I told you that the breakdown of muscle protein to keep blood sugar levels constant during fasting and starvation was driven by a hormone called glucagon.

And the active ingredient in the latest weight loss drugs like Wegovy, Ozempic, and Trulicity is GLP-1, which stands for glucagon-like peptide 1.

So, it should be no surprise that those drugs cause loss of muscle mass. That’s a side effect you probably haven’t been told about.

But the good news is that properly designed protein supplements can help you maintain and (with resistance training) increase muscle mass and also boost GLP-1 levels naturally. When choosing your protein supplement, ask for clinical studies showing that they increase GLP-1 levels.

The Bottom Line

It’s all downhill after age 50! That’s when we start to experience age-related muscle loss, something called sarcopenia.

Age-related muscle loss can be prevented with resistance exercise, adequate protein, and adequate leucine. And the amount of both protein and leucine we need to prevent muscle loss increases as we age.

Previous studies have defined the amount of protein and leucine we need to prevent muscle loss in our 60s and 70s. The studies described in today’s “Health Tip” show the benefit of adding a protein supplement to our low-protein meals and the importance of a high-quality protein supplement for minimizing age-related muscle loss.

The authors of one of these studies concluded, “Consuming protein much closer to the expert group consensus recommendations [1.2 gm/kg instead of the current 0.8 gm/kg for adults over 50] may help to increase…MPS [muscle protein synthesis] with advancing age and extend health-span – compressing the years of disease and disability commonly experienced by older individuals closer to the end of life.”

For more information on these studies, how much protein you need, and what they mean for you, read the article above.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

_____________________________________________________________________________

For more detail about FTC regulations for health claims, see this link.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/health-products-compliance-guidance

_____________________________________________________________________

About The Author

For the past 45 years Dr. Chaney and his wife Suzanne have been helping people improve their health holistically through a combination of good diet, exercise, weight control and appropriate supplementation.

What Kind Of Protein Is Best For Strength?

February 13, 2024 by Dr. Steve Chaney

What Kind Of Protein Is Best For You?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

Every bodybuilder “knows” that whey is the best protein for building strong muscles. After all, it:

Is absorbed more rapidly than some other proteins.
Contains all nine essential amino acids.
Is naturally rich in leucine, a branched chain amino acid that stimulates increased muscle mass.

However, as someone who is not a vegan but who follows the vegan literature, I frequently come across testimonials from bodybuilders and elite athletes who say they get all the strength and muscle mass they need from plant proteins.

I’ve always assumed they must have dietitians designing the perfect plant protein diet for them. But a recent study surprised me. It challenged that assumption.

Before I talk about this study, let me change our focus. Most of us will never be bodybuilders or elite athletes, but all of us face a common challenge. We all tend to lose muscle mass as we age, something referred to as sarcopenia. I have discussed this in a previous issue of “Health Tips From the Professor”.

Simply put, sarcopenia results in:

Loss of muscle strength. Even the simple act of picking up a grandchild or a bag of groceries can become problematic.
Increased risk of falls and fractures.
Lower quality of life.

Sarcopenia is a major health issue for those of us in our golden years. If you are younger, it is a concern for your parents or grandparents. Sarcopenia is a health issue that affects everyone.

In my previous article I discussed the role of adequate protein intake and exercise in preventing age-related sarcopenia. But I did not discuss what kind of protein was best for preventing muscle loss, and the frailty that comes with it, as we age.

The article (EA Struijk et al, Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 13: 1752-1761, 2022) I will discuss today suggests that plant protein is best for preventing frailty in women as they age. It’s a surprising conclusion, so join me as I evaluate this study.

How Was This Study Done?

The data for this study came from the Nurses Health Study which started in 1976 with 121,700 women nurses and is still ongoing. This study followed 85, 871 female nurses for an average of 22 years starting when they were 60.

Food frequency questionnaires were administered to the participants in the study every four years starting in 1980. The questionnaires were used to calculate:

Total calories consumed.
Percent of calories from protein, carbohydrate, and fat.
Percent of calories from different kinds of protein.
The overall quality of the diet.
Saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, cholesterol, and alcohol intake.

For this study the investigators used the cumulative average values from all questionnaires completed by participants in the study from age 60 until the onset of frailty.

Frailty was assessed every four years starting in 1992 using something called the FRAIL scale. The FRAIL scale defines frailty based on five self-reported criteria: fatigue, low strength, reduced aerobic capacity, having 5 or more chronic illnesses, and recent significant unintentional weight loss.

It is important to note that strength is only one of the five criteria used to identify frailty, although decreased muscle mass can contribute to lack of energy and reduced aerobic activity.

It is also worth pointing out that multiple studies have shown that primarily plant-based diets are associated with a decrease in chronic diseases.

I will come back to both of these points when I discuss the results of this study.

What Kind Of Protein Is Best For Strength?

I will start with the “big picture” results from this study and then cover some of the important details.

Average intake of:

Total protein was 18.3% of calories consumed.
Animal protein was 13.3% of calories consumed.
Plant protein was 5.0% of calories consumed.
Dairy protein was 3.8% of calories consumed.

When protein intake was divided into quintiles (5 equal parts) and women consuming the most protein were compared to those consuming the least protein for an average of 22 years:

Those consuming the most total protein had a 7% increased risk of developing frailty.

Those consuming the most animal protein had a 7% increased risk of developing frailty. (It is perhaps not surprising that the results were essentially the same for total and animal protein since animal protein was 73% of the total protein consumed by women in this study.)

Those consuming the most plant protein had a 14% decreased risk of developing frailty.

Consumption of dairy protein did not affect frailty.

Substituting as little as 5% of calories of plant protein for:

Dairy protein decreased the risk of developing frailty by 32%.

Animal protein decreased the risk of developing frailty by 38%.

Non-dairy animal protein (meat, fish, and eggs) decreased the risk of developing frailty by 42%.

In addition, substituting as little as 5% of calories of dairy protein for non-dairy animal protein decreased the risk of developing frailty by 14%.

But, as I said above, the frailty scale used in this study included the criteria of developing 5 or more chronic illnesses, and long-term consumption of plant protein is known to reduce the risk of developing chronic illnesses. So, it is important to break the study down into its component parts. When that was done the statistically significant results were:

Those consuming the most total protein had a 7% increased risk of low strength and a 25% increased risk of developing 5 or more chronic diseases.

Those consuming the most animal protein had a 9% increased risk of low strength and a 35% increased risk of developing 5 or more chronic diseases.

Those consuming the most plant protein had an 18% decreased risk of low strength. (It is interesting to note that plant protein consumption did not have a statistically significant effect on the development of chronic diseases in this study. That suggests that the “protective” effect of plant protein may simply be due to the absence of animal protein from the diet.)

Consumption of dairy protein did not affect any of the frailty criteria.

Finally, prevention of strength loss due to age-related sarcopenia is known to require exercise as well as adequate protein intake.

So, it was somewhat surprising that no difference in the association between protein intake and frailty was seen in women with high physical activity compared with those with lower physical activity levels. However, this may be because the range in activity level between the women in this study was relatively small. There didn’t appear to be a significant number of “gym rats” among the women in this study.

What Kind Of Protein Is Best For You?

One take-away from this study is clear. If you are a woman and want to minimize sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass and strength as you age), plant protein is an excellent choice.

A variety of plant proteins is best, so you get all the essential amino acids.

You don’t need to become a vegan. This study showed that replacing as little as 5% of your calories from animal protein with plant protein can have a significant benefit. Any healthy primarily plant-based diet will do.

This study enrolled only women aged 60 or above, so we don’t know whether the results apply to men or to younger women.

We don’t know why plant protein is better than animal protein at preventing age-related sarcopenia.

It could be because primarily plant-based diets are anti-inflammatory, and inflammation plays a role in sarcopenia.

Or it could be because primarily plant-based diets reduced the risk of chronic diseases, and chronic diseases can lead to loss of strength.

To be clear, this is a study that focuses on the type of protein that is best for long-term health and strength as we age. This is not a study of the best protein for increasing muscle mass following a workout.

Multiple studies show that whey protein can be a good post-workout choice.

However, other studies show that plant protein can also be a good post-workout choice if extra leucine is added to make it equivalent to whey protein in terms of leucine content.

The Bottom Line

You have probably heard that it is all downhill after age 30. But it doesn’t have to be.

One of the downhill slopes we all face is something called sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss). The resulting loss of strength and agility can severely impact our quality of life in our golden years.

We can prevent sarcopenia with the combination of a high protein diet and resistance training (weight bearing exercise).

But what kind of protein is best? In this issue of “Health Tips From the Professor” I review a large, well-designed study that suggests plant protein is the best choice for women if they wish to reduce age-related muscle loss and the weakness that comes with it.

For more details about the study and what it means for you, read the article above.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

______________________________________________________________________________

For more detail about FTC regulations for health claims, see this link.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/health-products-compliance-guidance

_____________________________________________________________________

About The Author

Dr. Chaney has a BS in Chemistry from Duke University and a PhD in Biochemistry from UCLA. He is Professor Emeritus from the University of North Carolina where he taught biochemistry and nutrition to medical and dental students for 40 years. Dr. Chaney won numerous teaching awards at UNC, including the Academy of Educators “Excellence in Teaching Lifetime Achievement Award”. Dr Chaney also ran an active cancer research program at UNC and published over 100 scientific articles and reviews in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, he authored two chapters on nutrition in one of the leading biochemistry text books for medical students.

Do High Protein Diets Reduce Testosterone?

June 7, 2022 by Dr. Steve Chaney

What Does This Study Mean For You?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

Low carb diets are all the rage. Everywhere you turn you see articles proclaiming how healthy they are.

When you remove carbohydrates from the diet, you need to replace them with something. So, many of these diets are high in protein. And many people are choosing the high protein versions of low carb diets. For example:

High protein, low carb diets have become popular for weight loss.

And in our society, high protein diets are considered a good thing. We associate protein consumption with strength, energy, and virility. So, many athletes also include high protein, low carb diets as part of their training regimen.

Are high protein, low carb diets the best choice? Perhaps not, if the latest study is correct. This study (J Whittaker and M Harris, Nutrition And Health, 1-12, March 2022) claims that high protein, low carb diets decrease testosterone levels.

So, you are probably wondering, “Is this claim accurate?” To answer this question, I will evaluate the study and put it into perspective for you.

How Was This Study Done?

This study was a meta-analysis of 27 studies with a total of 309 participants looking at the effect of low carb diets on cortisol and testosterone levels. The participants were young (average age = 27.3), healthy, non-obese (BMI = 24.8), active males.

The selection criteria for studies included in the meta-analysis were:

Measurements of resting and post-exercise cortisol and testosterone levels. For simplicity, I will focus only on the testosterone results for this discussion.

Young, healthy male participants to minimize variation in steroid hormone metabolism due to age, sex, or disease.

Comparison of a low carb and high carb diets. The low carb and high carb diets averaged 18% and 58% carbohydrate, respectively.

Elimination of studies containing confounding variables that might affect steroid hormone metabolism such as:

- Weight change of more than 6 pounds

- Use of hormones, phytoestrogens, or medications.

In analyzing the data, they also compared:

Duration of <3 weeks or longer duration because it takes about 3 weeks for the body to fully adapt to ketone body utilization.

Moderate protein (average intake = 23.1% of calories) versus high protein (average intake = 48.8% of calories) intake. [Note: For comparison, the average protein intake for adults in this country is ~16%, with some experts recommending 17-21% to prevent weight loss as we age.]

Do High Protein Diets Reduce Testosterone?

This study looked at the effect of low carb diets on both resting and post-exercise testosterone levels.

Moderate protein, low carb diets had no consistent effect on either resting or post-exercise testosterone levels.

However, high protein, low carb diets reduced both resting and post-exercise testosterone levels.

- The effect on resting testosterone was highly significant. High-protein, low carb diets caused a 37% decrease in resting testosterone levels.

- The effect on post-exercise testosterone was smaller, but still significant.

In the words of the authors, “High-protein, low carb diets greatly decreased resting and post-exercise total testosterone…Individuals consuming such diets may need to be cautious about adverse endocrine effects.”

Is There A Good Metabolic Rationale For These Results?

As a biochemist, I always like to look at the metabolic rationale for the results. And there is a good metabolic rationale for the effect of high protein diets on testosterone levels:

When protein is metabolized ammonia is released, and excess ammonia is toxic.

To combat ammonia toxicity the body has a metabolic pathway called the urea cycle. It removes ammonia from the bloodstream and converts it to urea, which is excreted in the urine.

The ability of the urea cycle to remove ammonia from the bloodstream is limited. High protein intakes can overwhelm the ability of the urea cycle to remove ammonia. This typically occurs when protein intake exceeds 35% of calories.

- In situations like this, the body produces cortisol, and cortisol upregulates the urea cycle so it can handle the excess ammonia.

- For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, cortisol and testosterone are regulated oppositely. Whenever cortisol goes up, testosterone goes down.

To be clear, I am not saying this is what is happening. I am merely saying this is a plausible mechanism for explaining the fall in testosterone levels on a high protein diet, and many popular low carb diets are also high protein diets.

What Does This Study Mean For You?

Last week I expressed skepticism about a recent study that had excellent experimental design but did not have a plausible metabolic rationale.

This week’s study is the opposite. It has an excellent metabolic rationale, but the study is weak. Specifically, several of the individual studies included in this meta-analysis are weak.

The authors considered this as a hypothesis-generating study. The authors went on to say this study shows where we should focus our attention in future studies, namely on the possible health consequences of high protein, low carb diets.

I agree. I am not ready to tell you unequivocally that high protein, low carb diets will lower your testosterone levels. However, if you are consuming a high protein, low carb diet for either weight loss or because you are a body builder or weightlifter, this study is a potential red flag. It is not a definitive study, but the results are metabolically plausible. They might just be true.

You should also keep in mind that all the “benefits” of high protein, low carb diets are based on short-term studies. There are no long-term studies on the benefits and risks of high protein, low carb diets. There is also no historical precedent for life-long adherence to a high protein, low carb diet.

We are omnivores. Our ancestors ate whatever nature provided. There were times when our paleolithic ancestors ate high protein, low carb meals, but it is unlikely any of them had the luxury of eating that way for a lifetime. That is a 21^st century luxury.

If you plan to consume a high protein, low carb diet for an extended period of time, you are part of an uncontrolled experiment with an uncertain outcome.

In case you were wondering whether this applies to any high protein (>35% of calories from protein), diet which exceeds the ability of the urea cyclic to remove a toxic byproduct of protein metabolism, the answer is “We don’t know”. However, the typical American diet is around 55% carbohydrate and 20-35% fat. It would be extremely difficult to exceed 35% protein without significantly reducing carbohydrate intake.

The Bottom Line

A recent study looked at the effect of high protein, low carb diets on testosterone levels. It found:

Moderate protein, low carb diets had no consistent effect on either resting or post-exercise testosterone levels.

However, high protein, low carb diets reduced both resting and post-exercise testosterone levels.

- The effect on resting testosterone was highly significant. High-protein, low carb diets caused a 37% decrease in resting testosterone levels.

- The effect on post-exercise testosterone was smaller, but still significant.

I am not ready to tell you unequivocally that high protein, low carb diets will lower your testosterone levels.

However, if you are consuming a high protein, low carb diet for either weight loss or because you are a body builder or weightlifter, this study is a potential red flag. It is not a definitive study, but the results are metabolically plausible. They might just be true.

If you plan to consume a high protein, low carb diet for an extended period of time, you are part of an uncontrolled experiment with an uncertain outcome.

For more details, read the article above.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.