What Amount of Protein Do Women Aged 50 Actually Need?

The simple answer is that most women over 50 who strength train can get by on about 1.0 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day, and a little more—up to about 1.6 g/kg—if their aim is to build muscle. You should distribute this intake by having at least 20 to 25 grams at each of your main meals. For a woman who weighs 70 kg (154 lb), this amounts to roughly 70 to 110 grams per day, which is more than Canada's official minimum of 0.8 g/kg, and the following explains why.

Why the official number isn't the whole story

The recommended daily protein intake set by Health Canada for women who are 51 years of age or older is 0.80 g per kilogram (see Health Canada DRI tables). An RDA is the amount which meets the basic needs of nearly all healthy individuals, 97 to 98% of them (Health Canada). This recommendation was formulated with the aim of preventing deficiency; it was not intended to assist in maintaining or building muscle as one ages.

Two expert groups that looked specifically at older adults landed higher:

The statement put forward by the ESCEO is the one that is most relevant to you since it was prepared with consideration for both muscle and bone health in postmenopausal women.

What constitutes an excessive amount? The maximum amount when building muscle

A meta-analysis carried out in 2018 and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine included 49 trials involving a total of 1,863 people who underwent resistance training. Although extra protein increased gains in both strength and muscle, the advantage in terms of muscle mass stopped increasing when the total protein intake reached about 1.6 g/kg per day (Morton et al., 2018).

Two other points are important for women over the age of 50. Firstly, the training itself proved to be a much stronger stimulus than the protein. Secondly, the additional protein was less effective the older the people were, a finding the authors interpreted as indicating that older people may need more protein in order to achieve the same effect.

Why protein per meal matters after 50

Older muscle is less sensitive to small doses of protein. In one analysis, muscle-building in healthy men around age 71 kept rising until they ate about 0.40 g/kg in a meal, compared with about 0.24 g/kg in men around 22 (Moore et al., 2015). That study was in men, so treat the exact number as a guide. But it lines up with the ESCEO advice for women: at least 20 to 25 g of good-quality protein at each main meal.

Many women eat a light breakfast, a light lunch and most of their protein at dinner. That pattern leaves two meals below the threshold.

Your daily range at a glance

If you're carrying a lot of extra weight, calculating from total body weight can overshoot. A registered dietitian can help you pick the right number.

What 25 grams actually looks like

Values below come from the Canadian Nutrient File, as summarised by McMaster University researchers (Binkley & Ling, 2023). Brands vary, so check labels.

Plant proteins count. Health Canada's reference values note that people eating a mix of plant proteins don't need a separate protein requirement (Health Canada DRI tables). You may need slightly larger portions.

Is a higher-protein diet safe for my kidneys?

For healthy people, the evidence is reassuring. The PROT-AGE group found little or no evidence that higher-protein diets damage the kidneys in healthy individuals, including older adults. The exception is people with severe kidney disease (an eGFR below 30) who aren't on dialysis; they may need to limit protein (Bauer et al., 2013).

If you have kidney disease, diabetes affecting your kidneys, or any condition where your doctor has talked about protein, check with them or a registered dietitian before increasing your intake.

How I'd apply this: a 58-year-old who travels and doesn't want fitness to be her job

She's 58, weighs about 70 kg, strength trains twice a week, and travels every few weeks. She doesn't want to weigh her food forever. Here's how I'd set her up.

Give her a number, then a habit. Her target is roughly 85 to 110 g a day, which is about 25 g at each of three meals plus one protein snack. I'd have her track for two weeks only, to learn what 25 g looks like. After that, she eyeballs.

Fix breakfast first. Breakfast is the meal most women under-eat and the one she controls best, even on the road. At home: 250 mL of 2% Greek yogurt with berries and a boiled egg, about 28 g. At a hotel buffet: two or three eggs plus a yogurt cup or a glass of milk.

Build a travel kit. Two tuna pouches, a bag of roasted edamame or nuts, and a shaker with a scoop of protein powder live in her carry-on. That covers the airport lunch that's otherwise a muffin.

Anchor protein to training days. ESCEO recommends eating protein close to exercise. After a session, her next meal gets the biggest serving of the day.

Don't chase 1.6 g/kg on day one. If she's currently eating 50 g a day, getting to 85 g is the big win. The last 20 grams matter far less than the first 35.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. 1Bauer J et al. Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people: a position paper from the PROT-AGE Study Group. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2013;14(8):542–559. PubMed
2. 2Binkley C, Ling E. Protein content of common foods (infographic, data from the Canadian Nutrient File 2015). McMaster University, 2023. PDF
3. 3Health Canada. Dietary reference intakes tables: overview and reference values for macronutrients. Overview; Macronutrients
4. 4Moore DR et al. Protein ingestion to stimulate myofibrillar protein synthesis requires greater relative protein intakes in healthy older versus younger men. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2015;70(1):57–62. PubMed
5. 5Morton RW et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(6):376–384. PubMed
6. 6Rizzoli R et al. The role of dietary protein and vitamin D in maintaining musculoskeletal health in postmenopausal women: a consensus statement from the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO). Maturitas. 2014;79(1):122–132. HAL archive