There is a lot of confusion out there around health, wellness, living longer and better. One of the areas that I often question is the recommendations around protein intake. There is a range of thought out there, from the government-recommend daily allowance 0.36 grams per pound to multiples of that number. From what I understand, the 0.36 number is based on keeping a sedentary adult from falling into a disease state — seems like a pretty low bar. The number I am interested in is: what is the optimal amount and how and when should it be consumed — not what is the least I can do to stay alive. But then, eating vast amounts of protein also seems difficult, and not very appealing.
I directly asked Dr Mike Roizen this question on the SuperAge podcast this week. The often-quoted number I hear is 1 gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight. For me, at 168 lbs, that would be 168 grams of protein, which seems considerable. What data is this based upon? Are there large studies out there verifying it? What are the negative effects of eating that much protein?
Mike’s answer was that, after around 60, we not only lose the ability to efficiently absorb protein, but we also lose muscle after and gain it more slowly. Protein is needed for tissues to grow; but then, cancer is also a tissue, so how do we square that? His solution is to eat 1g of protein per lb of body weight in the form of egg whites and salmon burgers every day, and then for 5 days per month do a 700 cal/day fast. The thinking here is that the fasting will cause our bodies to harvest potentially harmful misfolded proteins, thus reducing the cancer risk. This may work for Mike, but the idea of me doing 5 days/month on 700 calories a day is not so appealing. I would turn into a couch-bound very grumpy toddler. Also, eating a 10-egg-white omelette every morning sounds costly and a lot like force feeding.
The answer I have arrived at is to eat for the day I am having, include protein in every meal, and not worry too much about the grams. On a very active day, I will naturally eat more food, and maybe 20-30% of that will be protein. I believe we are all individuals and that, although these general guidelines can be helpful starting points, we need to learn to listen to our bodies and observe what works for us. For some people who may be highly efficient at absorbing protein, less is better; for others, we may need to increase what we are eating. Some people may be more plant oriented, and some more carnivorous. We need to be eating protein daily; the amount really depends on what works for you as an individual at this moment in time.
Onward and upward,
David