Protein After 50: Keeping Muscle as You Age

Summary: Expert groups on aging recommend at least 1.0 to 1.2 g of protein per kg per day for older adults, higher if ill, spread at about 25 to 30 g per meal and paired with strength exercise, because more protein is linked with less muscle loss over time.

The short answer

Over 65 and healthy: at least 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg per day.
Over 65 with an illness or poor nutrition: 1.2 to 1.5 g/kg per day.
Per meal: about 25 to 30 g.
Pair it with strength or resistance exercise.
Kidney disease changes the picture. Set protein with your doctor.

Why the number goes up with age

The general adult RDA is 0.80 g/kg per day (National Academies, 2005). Not every body agrees older adults need more:

WHO/FAO/UNU set 0.83 g/kg for adults and give no separate higher value for older adults (WHO TRS 935, 2007).
EFSA also applies 0.83 g/kg to adults including older adults (EFSA, 2012).

The groups that focus on aging and muscle set higher targets. Their reason is muscle: losing it with age affects strength, balance and independence. Those targets are below.

What the expert groups say

Group	Who	Daily protein	Other advice
PROT-AGE (Bauer et al., 2013)	Adults over 65	1.0–1.2 g/kg; 1.2–1.5 g/kg with acute or chronic disease	25–30 g per meal
ESPEN (Deutz et al., 2014)	Healthy older adults	At least 1.0–1.2 g/kg; 1.2–1.5 g/kg if malnourished or ill	Physical activity and resistance exercise alongside

Both groups set their numbers at about 1.25 to 1.5 times the general RDA or more.

The Health ABC study

Detail	What it found
People	2,066 adults aged 70 to 79
Length	3 years
Comparison	Highest fifth of protein intake vs lowest fifth (adjusted for calories)
Result	The highest group lost about 40% less lean mass
Source	Houston et al., 2008

This is an observational study. It shows that people who ate more protein kept more lean mass. It does not prove protein alone caused the difference, but it is one of the most cited studies on the subject.

What this means if you are 40 to 65

Most of the studies above were in people over 65. The PROT-AGE and Health ABC numbers do not apply directly to someone who is 45.

What does apply:

Weight loss puts muscle at risk at any age. Higher protein during calorie restriction helps keep lean mass (see Chapter 5: Protein).
The 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg range for appetite and weight management covers adults generally (Leidy et al., 2015). It already sits at or above the aging targets.
In resistance-training trials, protein added to training improved muscle and strength gains, levelling off around 1.6 g/kg (Morton et al., 2018).

So if you are 40 to 65 and losing weight on keto, the target for weight loss already covers the aging advice. Building the habit of strength exercise now is the other half. See Exercise.

None of the studies on the protein evidence page was specific to women aged 30 to 60 on low-carb diets.

Putting it into a keto day

For a 65 kg (143 lb) woman at 1.2 g/kg, the target is about 78 g a day (65 × 1.2). That is roughly:

Meal	Protein
Breakfast	about 25 g
Lunch	about 25 g
Dinner	about 28 g

Common ways to make each meal reach 25 to 30 g:

Start each meal with the protein portion, then add vegetables and fat.
Read labels for grams of protein, not grams of meat.
Keep cooked protein ready so a meal is never only fat and vegetables.
If appetite is small, eat protein before anything else on the plate.

More: How much protein per meal?

KetoDick on this: he says too little protein can mean muscle loss and tells people to err high (video UygKGoP_BtA). He also says protein should be set by lean mass (video 8Jk5ShSUpFY). He does not give separate protein numbers by age in the videos used for this guide.

When to involve your doctor

Talk to your doctor before raising protein if you:

have kidney disease or have been told your kidney function is reduced;
have type 2 diabetes or take medicine that lowers blood sugar;
have several chronic conditions or take several medications.

KetoDick on this: he suggests getting baseline lab work before starting, especially if you are older or have a health history, and he tells anyone with a kidney issue to involve their doctor (video GojQvo_2GS0).

More: Does high protein hurt your kidneys? and Who should talk to a doctor first.

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Last verified: 2026-10-31