Why Older Adults Should Eat More Protein (And Not Overdo Protein Shakes)

[simple girl]

It's very important to get enough protein as we age, to help keep our muscle mass. It's even more important to increase the amount of protein when fighting an illness or recovering from surgery!

"After reviewing additional evidence, an international group of physicians and nutrition experts in 2013 recommended that healthy older adults consume 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily — a 25 to 50 percent increase over the RDA. (That’s 69 to 81 grams for a 150-pound woman, and 81 to 98 grams for a 180-pound man.) Its recommendations were subsequently embraced by the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism."

Why Older Adults Should Eat More Protein (And Not Overdo Protein Shakes)

 

[haha]

One aspect of this that seems confusing is that for many, a pretty large percentage of their body weight is fat. So by the suggestion here, the fatter on is, the more protein he would eat. This seems odd to me.


There must be a more accurate way, or perhaps just trust it to one's appetite?


Ha

 

[Nick12]

Good info. Protein is important and also having good numbers on your BMI is critical also. The USA is the most advanced country in the world but the obesity rate is out of control. Lose weight, daily exercise and keep stress under control!

 

[simple girl]

One aspect of this that seems confusing is that for many, a pretty large percentage of their body weight is fat. So by the suggestion here, the fatter on is, the more protein he would eat. This seems odd to me.


There must be a more accurate way, or perhaps just trust it to one's appetite?


Ha

I suppose that is true, but if you eat more protein and you are overweight, the chances are you will probably lose weight since you will feel fuller and likely eat less of other "junk" (aka low carb diet).

I personally would choose a weight that is ideal for your height and go with the amount of protein recommended for an older adult at that weight. I'm not a nutritionist, but that just makes sense to me.

They recommend you spread out the protein throughout the day, too, as our bodies can only metabolize so much at once (and are less efficient at it as we age, apparently).

So I'd set a goal of "x" amount of protein per meal. I would definitely up the amount of protein if undergoing surgery/illness. Your body needs more protein during the repair/healing process.

 

[audreyh1]

When you get really old you tend to eat less. Your taste buds don’t work as well, plus loss of appetite.

 

[simple girl]

When you get really old you tend to eat less. Your taste buds don’t work as well, plus loss of appetite.

Yes indeed. It is a vicious cycle.

 

[braumeister]

I think most of us tend to self-regulate our protein intake to about 20% (±5%) of our calorie intake. The rest is either carbs or fat.

Excessive protein ingestion is simply converted to carbs by the body.

 

[Marita40]

Lots of lean protein throughout the day is absolutely the key for me to keep excess weight off and to curb hunger/cravings.

 

[NanoSour]

Reeks of a marketing campaign to me.

 

[Lsbcal]

I have to wonder how many Americans will make the conversions from grams/kilograms to pounds to eat. For myself, the number was .17 pounds of protein.

But then how am I suppose to monitor this? Clearly if I eat a quarter pounder I'd be good for at least one day. Or so I thought until looking that up.

I'm quite healthy and slim but no way am I going to worry about all these numbers.

 

[Sojourner]

I have to wonder how many Americans will make the conversions from grams/kilograms to pounds to eat. For myself, the number was .17 pounds of protein.

If you mean converting the recommended daily amount of grams of protein to "pounds of protein", then I think that's unnecessary and probably even misleading. For example, if you need 77 grams of protein per day, converting that to 0.17 pounds doesn't translate into something like "I therefore need to eat .17 pounds of ground beef."

Clearly if I eat a quarter pounder I'd be good for at least one day.

A typical quarter-pound hamburger contains 24 grams of protein. So if you need .17 pounds of protein (77 grams), that wouldn't do it. Or maybe I misunderstood?

 

[walkinwood]

All sorts of food contain protein and the numbers add up pretty quickly.



Eg: 4g in a slice of whole wheat bread; 3g in a potato; 6g in a cup of oatmeal; 6g in 1oz of almonds.

 

[Dreamer]

That is an interesting article. According to what is states, I am not getting near enough protein a day. I am going to start trying to incorporate protein into my diet. Thanks for posting it.

 

[Lsbcal]

OK, I was exasperated with the thought of adding all those things up. So I actually skimmed the article in the OP. That article seems to be targeting a population of adults I don't (thankfully) belong to:

Older adults need to eat more protein-rich foods when they’re trying to lose weight, dealing with a chronic or acute illness, or facing a hospitalization, according to a growing consensus among scientists.

I hope most people here are getting their exercise and have sensible diets. Focusing on protein alone is kind of like focusing on one component of a complex portfolio.

Now I'll have to ask DW to make some small steaks with a nice salad very soon.

 

[Chuckanut]

How does one accurately count protein consumption?

I think this is like calorie counting - even professional dieticians can't count more accurately than plus or minus 300 calories a day. How in the world are other less informed people with lives to lead going to count calories, protein, or whatever that accurately?

 

[Sojourner]

One aspect of this that seems confusing is that for many, a pretty large percentage of their body weight is fat. So by the suggestion here, the fatter on is, the more protein he would eat. This seems odd to me.


There must be a more accurate way, or perhaps just trust it to one's appetite?

I'd guess that the proper way to determine the right amount of daily protein is to use one's healthy weight according to the BMI index. So for an obese, 250 pound (113 kg) 5'11" man, the right amount of protein would be something like 79 g, not 113 g. Maybe bump it up by 10% to account for supporting all those extra fat cells, blood vessels, and skin, etc., so 87 g.

 

[MRG]

How does one accurately count protein consumption?

I think this is like calorie counting - even professional dieticians can't count more accurately than plus or minus 300 calories a day. How in the world are other less informed people with lives to lead going to count calories, protein, or whatever that accurately?

I use the reports in the free version of myfitnesspal. Easy as can be. If you eat at home it's as accurate as you are with weighing your food. Eating out adds challenges.

 

[Marita40]

I count protein grams; it is easy to do. For example, between today's breakfast (2 eggs, low carb English muffin, spinach) and lunch (deli turkey, string cheese, Fage yogurt) I've already consumed 48 grams of protein. The Fage yogurt is a super star--18 grams of protein per 6 oz.

 

[LOL!]

This is all pretty old news I think.

Based on her research, Volpi suggests that older adults eat 25 to 30 grams of protein per meal. Practically, that means rethinking what people eat at breakfast, when protein intake tends to be lowest. “Oatmeal or cereal with milk isn’t enough; people should think of adding a Greek yogurt, an egg or a turkey sausage,” Volpi said.

Just add protein powder to your oatmeal.

As far as counting protein amount, it is pretty easy. It is not like we are eating something different every day of the month. All nutrition labels have listed the amount of protein in grams in a typical serving of the item. One can use MyFitnessPal or something similar to add up amounts for your top 3 meals or top 10 meals and if they have enough protein, get on with your life.

For myself, I now add 20 g of protein to my oatmeal by adding protein powder. I add beans to my lunch salads to up the protein amount. Dinner is easy, so I don't worry about it.

If you feel you must weigh everything accurately, then I recommend the AMIR 3000 g x 0.1 g kitchen scale from Amazon for under $15. It has many uses besides just weighing your food one time.

 

[davebarnes]

Every time my trophy wife goes on a diet, I try to eat more to make up for her reduced intake. Then, she yells at me for eating too much and being fat. So, I drink more beer and she yells at me more.
How do I get her to stop yelling at me?

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

I aim for about 4 ounces of fish/chicken every meal. Or eggs. Or beans. Thats about the size of a deck of cards.

Easier than counting grams up.

 

[sengsational]

Another crap "science" epidemiology "relationship" with questionable causality.

There ought to be a law where the reporter must mention the causality in the other direction and give an example of a separate factor that could explain the relationship. Of course then that would deflate their headline.

"Seniors who became functionally impared didn't have the chops to eat much protein" probably isn't going to get many clicks.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

When dealing with nutrition, it's best to hedge the claim with a few well placed caveats like it depends... and more studies are needed. This one has it covered -

So could the “Okinawan Ratio” – 10:1 carbohydrate to protein – instead be the secret to a long and healthy life? Although it would still be far too early to suggest any lifestyle changes based on these observations, the very latest evidence – from human longitudinal studies and animal trials – suggest the hypothesis is worth serious attention. According to these findings, a low protein, high carbohydrate diet sets off various physiological responses that protect us from various age-related illnesses – including cancer, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

Although there aren’t yet any controlled clinical trials in humans, Solon-Biet cites epidemiological work across the world that all point to similar conclusions. “Other long-lived populations have also been shown to have dietary patterns that include relatively low amounts of protein,” she says. “These include the Kitavans, [who live on] a small island in Papua New Guinea, the South American Tsimane people and populations that consume the Mediterranean diet.”

So should we all start adopting the Okinawan Diet? Not quite. Ryan points to some evidence that low protein intake may limit bodily damage up to the age of 65, but you may then benefit from increasing your protein intake after that point. “Optimal nutrition is expected to vary across the life history,” she says. And it’s also worth noting one study, which found that the relative merits of protein and carbohydrates may depend on the protein's source: a diet higher in plant-based protein appears to be better than a diet rich in meat or dairy, for instance.

BBC - Future - A high-carb diet may explain why Okinawans live so long

 

[Katsmeow]

One aspect of this that seems confusing is that for many, a pretty large percentage of their body weight is fat. So by the suggestion here, the fatter on is, the more protein he would eat. This seems odd to me.


There must be a more accurate way, or perhaps just trust it to one's appetite?


Ha

You are correct. General articles often talk about protein per pound of body weight. But, if you talk to people who do strength training and body building that is really based on someone with normal to low amounts of body fat. It doesn't apply to someone with a high body fat percentage. In that case, it is often recommended to determine protein based upon your lean body mass. For example, when I weighed 146 which is normal weight for my height, I had 45% body fat which is high. I was told to based my protein intake on my lean body mass which resulted in about 85 g to 120 g of protein a day. It would have been much higher if I based it on total weight. But, I don't need to eat protein to support my fat mass even though I was at normal weight per BMI. The same argument applies to people who have an overweight or obese BMI.