The word ‘protein’ can induce all kinds of different responses. When doing your weekly shop, seeing all those powders and bars, can make it easy to think this is solely the domain of ripped bodybuilders. But what if you’re just an average Joe (or Jane) who isn’t spending two hours in the gym every day? Is protein still important? The short answer is yes, and it becomes increasingly important as we age. So, if you’re over thirty, it’s definitely time to start thinking about how much you’re consuming and when you’re consuming it.
Protein is the body’s fundamental building block. It supports muscle growth and repair, helps maintain healthy skin, hair, and nails, and plays a crucial role in producing enzymes and hormones. The more demands on your body (for example, if you’re super active, ageing, pregnant, or recovering from an illness), the more you need.
As we get older, maintaining muscle mass becomes more important. Muscle loss is a natural part of ageing, but without enough protein, our bodies struggle to repair and rebuild, which can lead to fat accumulation and changes in body composition. This gradual loss of muscle over the years not only affects our appearance (we all know about middle-age spread, and most of us aren’t huge fans), but it also has a significant impact on health. Muscles help protect our bones and joints, and keeping them strong reduces the risk of frailty, allowing us to stay more mobile in our later years.
So how much protein do we need?
The Ministry of Health recommends that the average adult consumes 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. For example, if you weigh 70 kilograms, this would mean you need about 56 grams of protein daily. However, these needs can increase depending on factors such as age, activity level, and health status. For older adults, especially those over 65, it’s suggested that protein intake might need to be higher to maintain muscle mass and support overall health.
There’s also emerging research suggesting that this figure of 0.8 might need to be higher to combat muscle loss once we reach midlife – or even earlier. Marily Oppezzo, PhD, MS, RDN, DipACLM, Nutrition Scientist and Head of the Stanford Lifestyle Medicine Nutrition Pillar, says there is a growing body of evidence that shows health benefits from consuming higher amounts of protein as we age, including slowing down age-related muscle loss. For those over 50, she recommends between 1.2 grams to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
Does it matter when we eat it?
There are also studies suggesting that how we spread out our protein intake across the day makes a difference – i.e. not 100 grams all in one meal. Research from several sources, including Paul F. Jacques (DSc, director of Tufts’ HNRCA Nutritional Epidemiology Program in the United States) suggests that meeting a protein threshold of approximately 25 to 30 grams per meal could be an effective dietary strategy to help maintain muscle mass and function.
Either way, it’s not a bad idea to take a look at what you eat in a day and how much protein that might contain. Losing muscle mass isn’t just a matter of vanity; it can be the difference between being stuck, stiff, and sore on the couch when you’re 80, or living your best life, travelling and ruling bingo night with your dance moves. We know which option we would prefer.
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