How Much Protein Do You Really Need?
Friday, June 05, 2009
Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N
Have you ever thought about how much protein you are supposed to get each day? The answer to that question is not as black and white as you may think.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is set at 0.8 grams (g) per kilogram (kg) of body weight. In order to figure out your weight in kg, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. So if you weigh 150 pounds (68.2 kg), you need about 55 grams of protein. You can also use 0.36 grams per pound of body weight if you don't want to convert to kg.
The RDA is set at a level of what you need to prevent deficiency. But many researchers believe that we actually need more than that for reasons of muscle building and for optimal satiety (to keep us full).
Here are some other recommendations:
Pregnancy/lactation: 1.1 g per kg body weight (0r 0.5 grams per pound). You can use pre-pregnancy weight for the calculation. The point is you need significantly more protein when pregnant. Add 25 grams more per day if you are carrying multiples. This extra protein is especially important in the second half and third trimester. You can also use 0.55 grams per pound body weight to calculate.
Endurance athletes: 1.2-1.4 g per kg body weight (or 0.55-0.65 grams per pound). Endurance athletes often think of carbs, carbs, carbs, and they ignore protein. But you are using your muscles quite a bit and need extra protein to repair them. Endurance athletes would be runners, bikers, long distance swimming, etc.
Strength athletes: 1.6-1.7 g per kg body weight (or 0.73-0.77 grams per pound). Strength athletes are pushing their muscles to the extreme and need more protein to build and repair those muscles. But don't skimp on carbs because your body will break down protein for energy if you don't get enough carbs. Strength athletes are people who do a signficant amount of strength training and may lift very heavy weights.
An upper limit of protein has not really been established, but many researchers believe that the body cannot use much more than 1 gram of protein per pound body weight.
Tune in tomorrow for more on protein and how much you eat may affect satiety (staying full) and what the right amount may be for weight loss.
1 Comments:
At Sat Nov 07, 08:40:00 AM 2009,
Practical Fitness Tips said…
An interesting article - thank you! It's amazing how much controversy there is around protein.
Whatever your goal, many organisations and individuals (particularly within the bodybuilding community), insist on athletes eating an extraordinarily high amount of protein – sometimes more than triple the levels typically recommended by international government health boards.
Practical Fitness Tips collected a handful of recommendations on protein intake from multiple sources, from numerous locations around the world. Here they are, in approximate order from least to greatest:
1) World Health Organisation – 0.45 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
2) British Nutrition Foundation – 0.75 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
3) Food & Nutrition Board (USA) – 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
4) Health Canada – 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
5) National Health & Medical Research Council (Australia) – 0.84 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
6) American Association of Kidney Patients – 0.8 to 1.0 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
7) Ask the Dietician – 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
8) Journal of Applied Physiology (USA) – 1.0 to 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
9) Medscape (USA) – 1.2 to 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight (for ‘endurance athletes’).
10) Canadian Dietetic Association – 1.0 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
11) American Dietetic Association – 1.0 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
12) Medscape (USA) – 1.4 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight (for ‘bodybuilders’).
13) Journal of the American College of Nutrition – 1.6 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
14) Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (UK) – 1.4 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
15) Iron Magazine (USA) – 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
16) Bodybuilding.com ‘Protein Calculator’ (USA) – 3.3 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
…so as you can see, we’ve got a huge range, from a low of 0.45 grams (World Health Organisation) to a high of 3.3 grams (Bodybuilding.com). Which do we trust?
There are many reasons the World Health Organisation has such a low requirement of 0.45 grams – one of which is likely due to the fact that they are involved in many developing countries. In comparison, government organisations from wealthy developed countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States seem to opt for between 0.75 to 0.84 grams.
As you read down to the middle of the above list, we get more into the somewhat ‘medical’ or ’sports-related’ organisations, which seem to recommend between about 1 to 1.6 grams.
Then, lastly, there are a few highs up to 3.3 grams from bodybuilding resources.
After undertaking this research, Practical Fitness Tips would recommend that males consume 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight – which, although higher than typical government recommendations for the ‘average individual’, and although lower than hardcore bodybuilding resources, is in keeping with either a high or low figure from:
- Journal of Applied Physiology
- Medscape (the high figure for ‘endurance athletes’, and the low figure for ‘bodybuilders’)
- Canadian Dietetic Association
- American Dietetic Association
- Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, and
- the recommendations in this article by Tara Gidus of Healthline.
In summary, the protein debate seems to go on, however there appears to be insufficient evidence to suggest that consuming much more protein than this will either be beneficial for building lean muscle mass, or safe for our internal organs, particularly the kidneys.
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