"0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight" is probably the most repeated nutrition number on the internet — and it's also one of the most commonly misapplied. That number is the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance), and its actual definition is a minimum intake to prevent deficiency in 97.5% of healthy, largely sedentary adults. It was never designed to be an optimal target — and treating it as one is where most of the confusion around protein actually comes from.
What research actually recommends for active people
Major sports nutrition bodies — including the International Society of Sports Nutrition, the American College of Sports Medicine, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics — recommend roughly 1.2 to 2.0 grams per kilogram for physically active adults, meaningfully higher than the RDA. A widely-cited 2017 meta-analysis by Morton and colleagues, covering nearly 1,900 participants, found that muscle gains from resistance training kept improving with higher protein intake up to around 1.6 g/kg per day, beyond which additional protein stopped adding measurable benefit for most people.
Why older adults specifically need more, not the same 0.8
Muscle mass naturally declines with age — research shows a 30–50% decrease is common between ages 40 and 80 — and studies specifically on older adults have found that intake at the standard RDA level was associated with measurable muscle loss over just 14 weeks, suggesting the "one size fits all" RDA may actually be too low for aging adults trying to preserve muscle and strength, not just avoid outright deficiency.
| Group | Research-informed range |
|---|---|
| Sedentary adult (deficiency prevention only) | 0.8 g/kg |
| Generally active adult | 1.0 – 1.2 g/kg |
| Regular resistance training | 1.4 – 1.6 g/kg (up to ~2.0 g/kg with no added benefit above) |
| Older adults (muscle preservation) | 1.0 – 1.3+ g/kg, often higher per dietitian guidance |
What this looks like for a real person
Take a 70 kg adult who trains regularly. The RDA-based number (0.8 g/kg) suggests 56 grams a day — technically enough to avoid deficiency, but well below what research suggests supports actual muscle maintenance and growth for someone training regularly. At 1.6 g/kg, the same person's target is 112 grams — double the "basic" number most generic articles quote, and the actual range sports nutrition bodies would recommend for their situation.
Getting there through Indian food, not just supplements
Reaching 100+ grams doesn't require protein powder — it requires spreading protein across every meal rather than concentrating it at dinner. A day combining eggs and milk at breakfast, dal and curd at lunch, chicken or paneer at dinner, and a handful of peanuts or roasted chana as a snack can realistically reach 90–110 grams for many people, without a single scoop of powder involved.
Is there a downside to eating more than you need?
For healthy adults without kidney or liver conditions, research hasn't shown meaningful harm from protein intake in the 1.2–2.0 g/kg range. The plateau Morton et al. found around 1.6 g/kg means going meaningfully higher (say, 3g/kg+, sometimes seen in aggressive cutting diets) doesn't add proportional benefit for most people — it's simply unnecessary, not necessarily dangerous, for healthy individuals.
FAQs
So is the 0.8g/kg number wrong?
Not wrong, just narrower than how it's usually presented — it's
accurate as a minimum to prevent deficiency in sedentary adults,
but it was never meant to represent an optimal or ideal target for
active people or older adults.
Do I need to hit my protein target every single day
exactly?
No — averaging over a week is generally considered sufficient for
most people's goals; a slightly low day followed by a slightly
higher one balances out without needing daily precision.
