Protein intake recommendationS

[Dominique]

Yes, the plural is intentional: protein intake is not a one-size-fits-all thing!

Let’s start with the recommendation in the USA. It’s found in a 1332-page book titled "Dietary Reference Intakes for Macronutrients (e.g., protein, fat and carbohydrates)", published in 2005, and referenced here. I’ve included a snapshot of the relevant page (589):

So it’s 0.80 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight per day for everyone. For me (currently 64 kg), that would mean 51.2 grams of protein per day. This is a low protein recommendation. For people who are not metrically inclined: 0.8 grams / kg of bodyweight = 0.36 grams / lb of bodyweight.

Now let’s have a look at the same (newer) recommendation in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland). Since these are small, they have pulled their resources together and come with the "Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2012: Integrating nutrition and physical activity", a 629-page book referenced here. Again, I’ve included a snapshot of the relevant page (283):

Interestingly, it’s not longer one-size-fits-all: it takes into account physical activity and age. The recommendation is lower for less active people, higher for more active people. They’ve also found the base line should be higher for the elderly; it kind of intuitively makes sense, since old age is when we lose strength, muscle, our bones become less dense etc.

For adults, the recommendation varies between 0.8 and 1.5 grams per kg of bodyweight (0.36 -  0.68 grams per lb). I consider myself active (in fact, likely more active than their PAL of 1.6), so the higher recommandation for me would be 64 x 1.5 = 96 grams of protein.

Then there are even higher protein intake recommendations given for bodybuilders, powerlifters and other folks who train specifically for the purpose of maximising muscle size and/or strength. For these people, it make sense to go higher than other athletes or active people (who are not necessarily looking for muscle hypertrophy or maximising strength), given that protein is the building block of muscle. A commonly seen recommendation is 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. It’s common most likely because it’s a round number that is easy to remember. It’s not some dumb meathead who couldn’t tell the difference between kilograms and pounds. It’s just an intentionally higher intake, for the aforementioned reasons. Actually, I more commonly see ranges for high protein intake recommendations: 0.8-1.2 grams per lb of bodyweight (1.8-2.6 grams per kg).

Since the beginning of this year, I’ve been eating 100-120 grams of protein per day (it’s the only thing I count), which converts to 1.5-1.9 grams per kg of bodyweight (my weight has fluctuated between 62 and 66 kg during that time). I’m not a bodybuilder, not a powerlifter, and I don’t intent to become either, but I do train 5 days a week with the purpose of gaining strength and muscle, so I feel I would benefit from a higher protein intake.

[Ukase]

Great post! 

Have you been able to discern if the timing of ingestion has any bearing on things? For example: this so called window of opportunity after a workout - where body builders consume protein during and immediately after workouts. My gut tells me that since I'm not a pro-body builder, it makes no difference. And that any timing advantage would be practically negligible since I'm not a body builder. 

Also, I don't think it's a coincidence that most protein powders average about 18-22 grams of protein per serving. We're all different, of course, but I know that if a body consumes too much protein at one setting, the excess is converted to glucose. I find myself wondering sometimes if it would be worth having some tests done to see if my body could absorb 40 grams/hour (or whatever unit of time) instead of 30. But then, I realize that would probably be an expensive test and the results would probably not prove to be that valuable to me. 

Thanks for the post - and the references. 

[Dominique]

Well, it seems the myth of the "anabolic window" has been dismissed (like you would have to consume your post-workout protein shake within 30 minutes, or you would lose all your gains): studies show muscle protein synthesis remains elevated for as long as 36 hours. OTOH, there’s nothing wrong in having your shake right after your workout, if it’s convenient for you.

As to splitting your protein intake into several relatively small servings (like 30-40 grams each), on the basis there’s only so much your body can process at a time: I’m not sure. I can see why bodybuilders would want to split their food intake into several smaller meals: if you’re 200 lbs and go for 1.2 grams of protein per lb of bodyweight, that’s 240 grams of protein. Even if you split it in two, 120 grams of protein is quite a lot of chicken breast, eggs or even protein powder to consume in one meal (plus the other macros on top of that). I haven’t really thought much about it. I tend to have 3-4 meals a day anyway.

[FitBeforeFifty]

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@Dominique wrote:

... A commonly seen recommendation is 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. It’s common most likely because it’s a round number that is easy to remember. It’s not some dumb musclehead who couldn’t tell the difference between kilograms and pounds. It’s just an intentionally higher intake, for the aforementioned reasons. Actually, I more commonly see ranges for high protein intake recommendations: 0.8-1.2 grams per lb of bodyweight (1.8-2.6 grams per kg).

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It's hard to know where those 1 gram per pound of bodyweight recommendations came from but there are few (if any at all) sports science professionals that recomend anything that high. 

For example, here's the NCAA's recommendation: (http://www.ncaa.org/health-and-safety/nutrition-and-performance/nutrition-and-performance-resources)

Protein requirements are slightly higher in both endurance (1.2-1.4 grams per kilogram body weight) and strength-training student-athletes (1.6-1.7 grams per kilogram body weight) above the typical recommended daily intake (0.8 grams per kilogram body weight). Fortunately, the higher intakes recommended for athletes is easily achieved in a well-balanced diet without the use of additional supplements.

Another chart I commonly refer to is:

[Dominique]

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@FitBeforeFifty wrote:

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It's hard to know where those 1 gram per pound of bodyweight recommendations came from but there are few (if any at all) sports science professionals that recomend anything that high.  

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Dr. Jose Antonio comes to mind as one such person. He has conducted several recent studies on the effects of high-protein diets:

https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-11-19

https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-015-0100-0

https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-016-0114-2

[FitBeforeFifty]

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@Dominique wrote:

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@FitBeforeFifty wrote:

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It's hard to know where those 1 gram per pound of bodyweight recommendations came from but there are few (if any at all) sports science professionals that recomend anything that high.  

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Dr. Jose Antonio comes to mind as one such person. He has conducted several recent studies on the effects of high-protein diets:

https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-11-19

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The conclusion of this study was:

Consuming 5.5 times the recommended daily allowance of protein has no effect on body composition in resistance-trained individuals who otherwise maintain the same training regimen.