Protein Requirements for Elderly Adults. Experts in the field of protein and aging recommend a protein intake between 1.2 and 2.0 g/kg/day or higher for elderly adults [3, 8, 15]. The RDA of 0.8 g/kg/day is well below these recommendations and reflects a value at the lowest end of the AMDR.

General guidelines for the entire adult population once recommended consuming 0.8 g of protein for every kilogram of body weight per day (0.8 g/kg/day). But Carol Greenwood, a specialist in geriatric nutrition at the University of Toronto, says nutrition research suggests that people over the age of 70 should get at least 1 g/kg/day.

Dietary Proteins. Adequate protein intake is essential for the maintenance of whole-body protein mass. Different methodological approaches are used to substantiate the evidence for the current protein recommendations, and it is continuously debated whether older adults require more protein to counteract the age-depen ….

Two crucial prerequisites for a valid measurement are: (1) metabolic adaptation to any given amount of daily protein intake before conducting the measurements (25 – 27); and (2) the achievement of energy balance during the period of measurement (7).

The PROT-AGE Study Group recommends even higher levels of protein intake for those who have acute or chronic diseases (1.2–1.5 g protein/kg BW per day); those with acute illness or injury or with severe malnutrition may need up to 2.0 g/kg BW per day.