We’re in a protein craze, and it’s arduous to disregard.
Stroll into any grocery retailer and also you’ll discover rows of protein-fortified power bars, breakfast cereals, baked items, snacks, even sports activities drinks. And on social media, influencers — many with medical or scientific levels of their bios — declare that most individuals are woefully poor.
“Women, you’re NOT consuming sufficient protein,” Dr. Elie Jarrouge, a health care provider in Houston wrote, to his nearly 80,000 followers on Instagram in February. Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, one other Houston-based doctor, mentioned in a recent video on TikTok that the federal suggestions for protein are “completely improper.”
One of the well-known protein proponents is Dr. Peter Attia, a doctor, podcaster and writer who advises and invests in various protein-related food companies. In his best-selling ebook, “Outlive,” he says that the federal suggestions for protein are “a joke,” suggesting that almost all wholesome and lively folks ought to devour almost 3 times as a lot.
In a 2024 survey of three,000 U.S. adults, 71 p.c mentioned they have been attempting to devour extra protein — up from 59 p.c in 2022.
So, are the federal suggestions improper? Would most of us profit from consuming extra protein? Or is the obsession simply one other passing well being fad?
The New York Occasions reviewed dozens of research and interviewed 12 diet scientists, lots of whom have been learning protein for many years. All of them agreed that we’d like extra analysis on the subject, however the science we do have clarifies a few of the confusion. Here’s a fact-check of six massive protein claims we’ve seen.
The declare: The federal suggestion is improper.
Scientists have debated whether or not it must be a bit increased, however the present degree appears satisfactory for most individuals.
Diet consultants in the USA advocate that almost all wholesome adults eat no less than 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of physique weight (or 0.36 grams per pound) each day. For a 150-pound grownup, this interprets to 54 grams per day — or the quantity in an 8.5-ounce hen breast.
Some studies, which Dr. Attia and Dr. Lyon have cited, recommend this quantity must be increased — by about 25 to 50 percent, or 1 to 1.2 grams per kilogram of physique weight. However scientists don’t agree that these research are higher than those used to make the federal suggestion.
The very best (if restricted) proof we have now means that the current level is adequate for most individuals’s primary wants, mentioned Wayne W. Campbell, a professor of diet science at Purdue College.
The federal suggestion was supposed to stop protein deficiency and to keep up lean tissues, like muscle, in most individuals, Dr. Campbell added. That degree is just not essentially optimum for everybody. Many individuals — together with those that are power coaching or dropping pounds — might profit from consuming extra, he mentioned. (Dr. Campbell, like lots of the consultants we spoke with, has obtained analysis funding from meals business teams. That is widespread amongst protein scientists as a result of there’s little federal funding for most of these research.)
Dr. Attia declined a number of requests for remark. In an interview, Dr. Lyon criticized the advice, partially as a result of she mentioned it was based mostly solely on information from 25-year-old males. That’s not true; it was based on information from women and men ages 18 to 99.
The declare: Most Individuals aren’t getting sufficient protein.
Analysis suggests that is false.
In keeping with the latest data, the typical man in the USA is overshooting the federal protein suggestion by greater than 55 p.c and the typical girl by greater than 35 p.c.
If most individuals weren’t consuming sufficient protein, there can be widespread indicators of malnutrition, and there usually are not, mentioned Nancy Rodriguez, a professor emerita of dietary sciences on the College of Connecticut.
Individuals who comply with a balanced food regimen, like one advisable by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, are in all probability “getting loads of protein,” Dr. Campbell added — even vegetarians.
That mentioned, not everybody follows a balanced food regimen, and a few folks get lower than what’s advisable, which may put them in danger for deficiency. Teen women, girls and older adults, as an illustration, are significantly susceptible to falling in need of the federal suggestion.
Teen girls and women usually tend to prohibit their consuming, Dr. Rodriguez mentioned, and ladies have a tendency to consume less meat than males. Older adults also usually eat less overall and should wrestle to afford, cook or chew protein-rich foods, she added.
Protein deficiency isn’t a widespread downside, consultants mentioned. However folks in these teams might should be extra attuned to how a lot they’re getting.
The declare: You want extra protein to construct muscle.
Analysis backs this up.
Stacy Sims, an train physiologist and diet scientist who affords recommendation to lively girls on-line, recommends consuming as much as triple the federal suggestion. Dr. Attia, Dr. Lyon and different protein proponents recommend related targets, together with train.
For those who’re power coaching, consultants mentioned that you just’ll in all probability need to devour extra protein than the federal suggestion. However tripling it “is excess of most individuals require,” mentioned Luc van Loon, a professor of physiology of train and diet at Maastricht College within the Netherlands.
In one well-designed trial of fifty middle-aged contributors who adopted a rigorous power coaching program for 10 weeks, half consumed about 1.5 instances the federal suggestion and the opposite half consumed about twice as a lot. After the coaching interval, each teams have been stronger and had gained lean mass, with no distinction in outcomes between them.
For most individuals who need to construct muscle, consuming round 1.5 to two times the federal suggestion is a lot, mentioned David Church, an assistant professor of geriatrics on the College of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Past that quantity, he added, the impact of protein on muscle achieve “type of plateaus.”
Some small research, Dr. Church mentioned, do recommend that sure athletes — like these doing rigorous strength and endurance coaching, or those recovering from injuries or restricting their calories — might profit from consuming as much as 3 times the federal suggestion. However extra analysis is required, and these eventualities don’t apply to most individuals, he added.
In an e mail, Dr. Sims emphasised that her suggestions have been primarily for severe feminine athletes who’re sometimes coaching for a particular sport or competitors.
The declare: Older adults want extra protein.
Some analysis backs this up, however extra research are wanted.
There is some evidence that consuming extra protein as you grow old can cut back the chance of age-related muscle loss, however these findings have been blended.
In a three-year study of almost 25,000 girls ages 65 to 79, for instance, those that consumed about 50 p.c extra protein than the federal suggestion have been much less frail than those that consumed much less.
However different research in older adults, together with randomized controlled trials, haven’t constantly proven a profit to consuming extra protein. In a trial printed in 2018, researchers offered 92 older males with diets that both matched the federal suggestion or contained 63 p.c extra protein. After six months, the researchers discovered no variations in lean mass, muscle power, strolling velocity, fatigue or well-being between teams.
Regardless of the blended proof, nutrition experts in Europe encourage all folks over 65 to devour no less than 25 p.c extra protein than the U.S. tips advocate. And, they add, older folks might profit from consuming much more if they’re therapeutic from damage or recovering from surgical procedure or hospitalization — a suggestion Dr. van Loon agreed with.
The declare: Excessive protein diets will help with weight reduction.
Analysis suggests that is partially true.
Many posts on social media — lots of them geared toward women — promote excessive protein diets for weight reduction.
Some short-term trials in women and men have shown that consuming 1.5 to 2 instances the federal suggestion helped folks lose extra weight than decrease protein diets did. Research also suggests that protein can cut back starvation hormone ranges and be extra satiating than carbohydrates or fat.
However longer-term studies haven’t always discovered that individuals lose extra weight on high-protein diets in contrast with different weight reduction diets, mentioned Bettina Mittendorfer, a professor of diet and train physiology on the College of Missouri College of Drugs.
Nonetheless, research suggests that when you’re actively attempting to shed some pounds, growing your protein might enable you lose extra fats mass and retain extra lean mass, which incorporates muscle. In a review printed in 2024, scientists concluded that consuming no less than 25 p.c extra protein than the advisable quantity might assist protect muscle throughout weight reduction.
For folks consuming fewer energy, whether or not as a result of they’re weight-reduction plan or taking a drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic, it’s vital to get satisfactory protein, Dr. van Loon mentioned. Power coaching no less than twice per week can be key to preserving muscle throughout weight reduction, he added.
The declare: The extra protein the higher.
Consultants have considerations about this method.
For those who spend time on-line, you may even see posts urging you to eat considerably extra protein and that there’s no hurt in doing so.
However focusing an excessive amount of on protein can include some downsides, consultants mentioned. It would, for instance, depart much less room for different wholesome meals, like fruits, greens and complete grains — which most of us want extra of, Dr. Church mentioned.
It may additionally immediate you to eat extra animal merchandise, that are linked to increased dangers of cardiovascular disease and earlier death, mentioned Dr. Frank B. Hu, a professor of diet and epidemiology on the Harvard T.H. Chan College of Public Well being. Or, you would possibly depend on processed sources of protein, like powders or bars, as an alternative of complete meals sources of protein like beans, tofu, nuts, whole grains, fish or hen, that are extra healthful choices, he mentioned.
An excessive amount of protein may pressure the kidneys in these with persistent kidney illness, Dr. Campbell mentioned. Multiple in seven adults in the USA are estimated to have chronic kidney disease, and as much as 9 out of 10 don’t know that they’ve it.
“That provides me pause concerning the more-is-better method,” Dr. Campbell mentioned.
Dr. Mittendorfer sees echoes of previous diet developments in at the moment’s protein craze. “There are these waves in public opinion,” she mentioned. Fat and carbohydrates have been as soon as villainized, but scientists discovered that the vitamins themselves weren’t dangerous; the problem was extra about overeating sure meals they have been in.
As with every nutrient, she added, you shouldn’t have an excessive amount of or too little. There’s a “Goldilocks zone” that meets your physique’s wants with out inflicting issues, she mentioned. The identical is true for protein.
