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How Much Protein Per Day?

Protein Calculator

Your individual daily protein target, built from peer-reviewed research with every number linked to its source.

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We use this only to estimate your lean mass. The target per kilogram is the same for everyone.

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Fill in your weight, height, age and goal to see your personal protein target.

Not medical advice

This tool provides general nutrition information, not medical advice. It is not a diagnosis or a treatment plan. Talk to a physician or registered dietitian before changing your protein intake, especially if you have kidney, liver or metabolic disease, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or take medication.

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Most active adults need about 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, well above the 0.8 g/kg RDA, which is only a deficiency floor. To build muscle, aim for roughly 1.6 g/kg (Morton 2018); after age 65, keep it at 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg to fight muscle loss (PROT-AGE 2013). Split the total across 3 to 5 meals of about 0.4 g/kg each.

The science behind your number

Muscle versus longevity: it depends on your age

Protein is not simply 'more is better', and the age story is more contested than it is usually told. The most-cited evidence is one observational study (Levine 2014) that tied high animal-protein intake at ages 50 to 65 to higher cancer and overall mortality, while finding high protein protective from the mid-60s on. That study rests on a single 24-hour dietary recall and a small subgroup, has not been replicated, and is likely confounded by overall diet and lifestyle. Larger cohorts since point a more nuanced direction: a 2020 meta-analysis of 32 cohorts found higher total protein, and plant protein in particular, associated with LOWER all-cause mortality (Naghshi 2020, BMJ), while a large Harvard cohort found the risk sits with animal protein and the benefit with plant protein, not with total protein as such (Song 2016, JAMA Internal Medicine). The defensible takeaway: there is no strong reason for healthy adults to fear protein, plant-leaning sources are the sensible default, and from the late 60s on the priority clearly shifts toward MORE protein (about 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg when healthy, up to 1.5 if frail or ill) paired with resistance training to fight sarcopenia. The strongest lifespan-extension data from protein restriction remain in rodents (Solon-Biet 2014), and the human translation is uncertain.

How we calculate your protein

Most calculators multiply your weight by a single factor. This one follows the published evidence step by step, and doses on the correct body-mass basis.

  1. 1Safety first: if you have chronic kidney disease, a restriction band (KDOQI 2020) overrides everything else.
  2. 2Dosing weight: lean-to-normal people and athletes are dosed on total body weight; once body fat is high, we switch to lean body mass so the target is not inflated by fat tissue (Geisler 2016).
  3. 3Base range: a g/kg band is selected from your goal and age, anchored to Morton 2018 (muscle), PROT-AGE 2013 and ESPEN 2014 (older adults), Helms 2014 (aggressive fat loss) and the EFSA/IOM reference values.
  4. 4Activity: your activity level places the personalized target WITHIN that range (sedentary toward the low end, athlete toward the high end). The range comes from the cited studies; that placement within it is our interpolation, not a separate study value. The evidence gives activity categories, not a fine-grained curve.
  5. 5Modifiers: a quality margin for plant-based diets (Pinckaers 2021), additive grams for pregnancy and breastfeeding (EFSA 2012), and age effects for the 50-65 and 65-plus windows.
  6. 6Distribution: the daily total is split into 3 to 5 meals of about 0.4 g/kg, each aiming for roughly 2.5 to 3 g of leucine, the amino acid that helps trigger muscle protein synthesis (Schoenfeld & Aragon 2018 recommend at least 4 meals; the leucine-trigger response is clearest in older adults and with isolated protein sources, though whole foods still stimulate muscle protein synthesis effectively, Zaromskyte 2021).

An honest note on uncertainty

The single 'optimal' protein number is genuinely debated. The 0.8 g/kg RDA rests on one nitrogen-balance meta-analysis (Rand 2003) that newer indicator-amino-acid methods suggest underestimates the true requirement (Elango 2010; Bandegan 2017). The muscle-versus-longevity trade-off is unresolved for lean, active people. We present ranges with the underlying confidence intervals rather than a false-precision single number.

Frequently asked questions

The RDA floor is 0.8 g/kg per day (EFSA and WHO use 0.83), enough to prevent deficiency but likely below the optimum. For an active adult, aim for about 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg per day; for muscle gain, about 1.6 g/kg (Morton 2018 breakpoint 1.62 g/kg, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.20). Use the calculator above for your personal number.

About 1.6 g/kg of body weight per day is the evidence breakpoint where resistance-training gains plateau (Morton 2018, British Journal of Sports Medicine). A practical working range is 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg per day (ISSN 2017), with about 2.2 g/kg as a defensible upper anchor. Beyond about 2.2 to 2.4 g/kg there is no evidence of additional muscle-building benefit in normal-calorie conditions, though slightly higher intakes are sometimes used while dieting and appear harmless.

Aim for about 0.4 g/kg per meal across at least 4 meals (Schoenfeld & Aragon 2018), spaced roughly every 3 to 4 hours through the day. Each meal should supply about 2.5 g leucine, or about 3 g if you are over 65, to help maximise muscle protein synthesis (Moore 2015; the leucine-trigger evidence is reviewed in Zaromskyte 2021). That is roughly 25 to 40 g of high-quality protein, or 50 to 60 g if plant-based.

In a calorie deficit, higher protein (about 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg per day) preserves muscle and improves satiety (Leidy 2015). Trained athletes cutting hard need 2.3 to 3.1 g/kg of lean body mass (Helms 2014; a 2016 RCT showed 2.4 beat 1.2 g/kg). Keep weight loss to 0.5 to 1.0% of body weight per week.

Yes. Aging muscle is anabolically resistant, so over-65 targets rise to 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg per day for healthy older adults, and 1.2 to 1.5 g/kg if you are ill or malnourished (acute or chronic illness), per PROT-AGE 2013 and ESPEN 2014; PROT-AGE additionally advises at least 1.2 g/kg if you exercise. Per meal, older adults need about 0.4 g/kg, versus 0.24 in the young, around 30 g of protein to maximise muscle protein synthesis (Moore 2015). Pair it with resistance training.

In healthy adults, higher protein does not harm kidney function (Devries 2018, a 28-trial meta-analysis). Diagnosed chronic kidney disease (stage 3 to 5) is different and needs restriction (KDOQI 2020). On longevity, one observational study (Levine 2014) linked high protein at ages 50 to 65 to higher mortality, reversing to protective after 65, but it has not been replicated; a large meta-analysis since linked higher total and plant protein to LOWER mortality (Naghshi 2020), with the protein source mattering more than the amount (Song 2016). For healthy adults there is no strong reason to fear protein, especially from plant-leaning sources.

For lean-to-normal people and athletes, dose on total body weight, the basis of the 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg studies (Morton 2018). If body fat is high (over 25% for men, 32% for women, or BMI over 30), switch to lean body mass (weight times one minus body-fat percentage, or the Boer 1984 estimate), because fat tissue does not drive protein need (Geisler 2016).

No. The per-kg requirement is the same for both sexes (IOM 2005; EFSA 2012; WHO/FAO/UNU 2007 all set one value). Differences in absolute grams come from differences in body weight and lean mass, not from a different g/kg target. That is why a lean-body-mass mode individualises better than sex alone.

Plant proteins score lower on DIAAS and PDCAAS and carry less leucine (about 6 to 8% versus over 10% for animal protein), which blunts the per-gram muscle response. If you rely mostly on plants, add roughly 10% to your total and aim for larger or blended doses to hit the leucine threshold (Pinckaers 2021). The calculator applies this automatically.

Sources

Show all 33 sources

Every number on this page traces to a peer-reviewed primary source. Each DOI links to the original paper, and every reference below was independently verified.

  1. Institute of Medicine (IOM), Food and Nutrition Board (2005). Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. National Academies Press. doi:10.17226/10490
  2. Rand WM, Pellett PL, Young VR (2003). Meta-analysis of nitrogen balance studies for estimating protein requirements in healthy adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. doi:10.1093/ajcn/77.1.109
  3. Phillips SM, Chevalier S, Leidy HJ (2016). Protein 'requirements' beyond the RDA: implications for optimizing health. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. doi:10.1139/apnm-2015-0550
  4. Elango R, Humayun MA, Ball RO, Pencharz PB (2010). Evidence that protein requirements have been significantly underestimated. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care. doi:10.1097/MCO.0b013e328332f9b7
  5. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) (2012). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for protein. EFSA Journal 10(2):2557. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2012.2557
  6. Richter M, Baerlocher K, Bauer JM, et al. (DGE) (2019). Revised Reference Values for the Intake of Protein. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 74(3):242–250. doi:10.1159/000499374
  7. Joint WHO/FAO/UNU Expert Consultation (2007). Protein and amino acid requirements in human nutrition (WHO TRS 935). World Health Organization, Geneva. source
  8. Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, Schoenfeld BJ, Henselmans M, Helms E, Aragon AA, Devries MC, Banfield L, Krieger JW, Phillips SM (2018). 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. British Journal of Sports Medicine 52(6):376–384. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608
  9. Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 14:20. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8
  10. Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA (2018). How much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? Implications for daily protein distribution. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 15:10. doi:10.1186/s12970-018-0215-1
  11. Helms ER, Aragon AA, Fitschen PJ (2014). Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 11:20. doi:10.1186/1550-2783-11-20
  12. Longland TM, Oikawa SY, Mitchell CJ, Devries MC, Phillips SM (2016). Higher compared with lower dietary protein during an energy deficit combined with intense exercise promotes greater lean mass gain and fat mass loss: a randomized trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. doi:10.3945/ajcn.115.119339
  13. Bandegan A, Courtney-Martin G, Rafii M, Pencharz PB, Lemon PWR (2017). Indicator amino acid-derived estimate of dietary protein requirement for male bodybuilders on a non-training day is several-fold greater than the current RDA. The Journal of Nutrition. doi:10.3945/jn.116.236331
  14. Bauer J, Biolo G, Cederholm T, et al. (PROT-AGE Study Group) (2013). Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association 14(8):542–559. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2013.05.021
  15. Deutz NEP, Bauer JM, Barazzoni R, et al. (ESPEN Expert Group) (2014). Protein intake and exercise for optimal muscle function with aging. Clinical Nutrition 33(6):929–936. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2014.04.007
  16. Moore DR, Churchward-Venne TA, Witard O, et al. (2015). Protein ingestion to stimulate myofibrillar protein synthesis requires greater relative protein intakes in healthy older versus younger men. Journals of Gerontology Series A 70(1):57–62. doi:10.1093/gerona/glu103
  17. Zaromskyte G, Prokopidis K, Ioannidis T, Tipton KD, Witard OC (2021). Evaluating the leucine trigger hypothesis to explain the post-prandial regulation of muscle protein synthesis in young and older adults: a systematic review. Frontiers in Nutrition. doi:10.3389/fnut.2021.685165
  18. Levine ME, Suarez JA, Brandhorst S, et al. (2014). Low protein intake is associated with a major reduction in IGF-1, cancer, and overall mortality in the 65 and younger but not older population. Cell Metabolism 19(3):407–417. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2014.02.006
  19. Fontana L, Partridge L, Longo VD (2010). Extending healthy life span — from yeast to humans. Science 328(5976):321–326. doi:10.1126/science.1172539
  20. Simpson SJ, Raubenheimer D (2005). Obesity: the protein leverage hypothesis. Obesity Reviews 6(2):133–142. doi:10.1111/j.1467-789X.2005.00178.x
  21. Solon-Biet SM, McMahon AC, Ballard JWO, et al. (2014). The ratio of macronutrients, not caloric intake, dictates cardiometabolic health, aging, and longevity in ad libitum-fed mice. Cell Metabolism 19(3):418–430. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2014.02.009
  22. Leidy HJ, Clifton PM, Astrup A, et al. (2015). The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. doi:10.3945/ajcn.114.084038
  23. Choban P, Dickerson R, Malone A, Worthington P, Compher C (A.S.P.E.N.) (2013). A.S.P.E.N. clinical guidelines: nutrition support of hospitalized adult patients with obesity. Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. doi:10.1177/0148607113499374
  24. Weijs PJM (2025). Protein requirement in obesity. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care 28(1):27–32. doi:10.1097/MCO.0000000000001087
  25. Devries MC, Sithamparapillai A, Brimble KS, Banfield L, Morton RW, Phillips SM (2018). Changes in kidney function do not differ between healthy adults consuming higher- compared with lower- or normal-protein diets: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of Nutrition. doi:10.1093/jn/nxy197
  26. Ikizler TA, Burrowes JD, Byham-Gray LD, et al. (KDOQI) (2020). KDOQI clinical practice guideline for nutrition in CKD: 2020 update. American Journal of Kidney Diseases. doi:10.1053/j.ajkd.2020.05.006
  27. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung (DGE) (2021). Referenzwerte für die Nährstoffzufuhr — Protein. DGE, Bonn. source
  28. Pinckaers PJM, Trommelen J, Snijders T, van Loon LJC (2021). The anabolic response to plant-based protein ingestion. Sports Medicine 51(Suppl 1):59–74. doi:10.1007/s40279-021-01540-8
  29. Geisler C, Prado CM, Müller MJ (2016). Inadequacy of body weight-based recommendations for individual protein intake. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu9010023
  30. Heymsfield SB, et al. (2024). Are lean body mass and fat-free mass the same or different body components? A critical perspective. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. doi:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.11.004
  31. Boer P (1984). Estimated lean body mass as an index for normalization of body fluid volumes in humans. American Journal of Physiology — Renal Physiology. doi:10.1152/ajprenal.1984.247.4.F632
  32. Song M, Fung TT, Hu FB, Willett WC, Longo VD, Chan AT, Giovannucci EL (2016). Association of animal and plant protein intake with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. JAMA Internal Medicine 176(10):1453–1463. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.4182
  33. Naghshi S, Sadeghi O, Willett WC, Esmaillzadeh A (2020). Dietary intake of total, animal, and plant proteins and risk of all cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. BMJ 370:m2412. doi:10.1136/bmj.m2412

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