Older adults who would like build muscles sh
ould eat twice the amount of protein recommended by federal health experts. How do we know? Because researchers at the Center for Translational Research in Aging and Longevity at the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences tried it out on 20 healthy adults between 52-75 years of age. A news release from the American Physiological Society reports that the scientists randomly assigned the participants to one of four groups over a four-day test period. Two groups ate the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 0.8 g/kg per day of protein: one group had even protein distribution across meals (33 percent of total protein at breakfast, lunch and dinner) and the other had an uneven protein distribution at meals (15 percent at breakfast, 20 percent at lunch and 65 percent at dinner). The other two groups ate double the RDA (1.5 g/kg day of protein) following the same even and uneven protein distribution patterns as the first two groups. The envelope please…The researchers found that while the distribution of protein across meals didn’t matter, the total amount of protein did. “Although there was no clear effect of the pattern of protein intake in our study, we observed a definitive effect of a higher amount of protein intake in mixed meals on whole body net protein balance and muscle protein synthesis,†the authors wrote. “Whole body net protein balance was greater with protein intake above recommended dietary allowance.â€Â
Health, fitness and lifestyle tips for people over 50 who still like to play hard
Sunday, April 20, 2025
I was told (and have also read) that people over age 50 need to decrease the amounts of protein they take. Study stated that eating more protein would have harmful effects as if one was a smoker.
The College of Nutrition at Cornell University did a similar study a couple years ago with similar findings. I’m a 54 year old bodybuilder and I eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight (currently 235), that comes to about 2.2 g/kg. At first glance my blood tests look like I have kidney disease because of a high creatinine level. That’s actually typical for healthy weightlifters who consume a lot of protein. Just to be safe, my doctor had be do a 24 hour creatinine clearance test. My results were excellent. If you’re a muscle geezer be sure to talk to your doctor about your diet and training so your lab tests can be read in an appropriate context.