How Much Protein Do We Need as We Age?
Here’s one thing we can all count on—we aren’t getting any younger. In an effort to not look and feel older than we really are, we turn to fitness and nutrition. However, one thing many people ask is if we need the same amount of protein as we did in our 20’s as we do in our 40’s (or older)? Researchers have looked into this and finally have an answer. So, how much protein do we need as we age?
That’s it?
When it comes down to how much protein we need to take post resistance training as a middle-aged man, the magic number according to researchers appears to be 9g (minimum) of milk protein. If you’re like me, you might be a little surprised at just how low that number is. In addition, it was milk protein concentrate being used—which is a cheaper alternative to whey protein. The researchers mentioned that they wanted to indicate what the lowest dosage would be as anything higher would have an additional cost to the consumer at the end of the day and might be unnecessary. Therefore, they wanted to ensure men understood the minimum amount needed to show an anabolic signaling response assuming they fit within the age range of this study.
Related Article: The Secret to Building Muscle as You Age — It’s Not Impossible
In addition, the cost of whey protein seems to consistently be rising with both manufacturers and retailers working off of low margins just to keep the product moving off shelf.
The study: How much protein do we need?
For this particular study, done by The University of Auckland, a sample of 20 middle-aged men between the ages of 38 and 55 were used. These men were deemed healthy, yet did not engage in any type of resistance training. This study is one of the first that looked specifically at middle-aged men, rather than the normal sample of young adults.
The 20 men were split into two equal groups for the study and were either given a beverage made up of 9g of milk protein concentrate, or a beverage consisting of an isoenergetic carbohydrate placebo after completing their bout of exercise. Each participant was asked to complete four sets of leg exercises and then within three minutes of completion, drink an assigned beverage given to them. Both before and after the bout of exercise, researchers drew blood to have as a sample as well as conducting a muscle biopsy from the participants leg both 90 and 240 minutes after drinking their respective assigned beverages.
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