How much protein per day should you eat after 50?

After 50, the protein conversation flips: the risk isn't too much, it's too little. Older adults develop anabolic resistance — the same meal triggers less muscle-protein synthesis than it did at 30 — so they need more protein, not less, to maintain muscle. The practical target the quantitative experts converge on is about 1.6 g/kg of body weight per day, calculated on ideal (not current) body weight. Patrick lands at 1.2-1.6 g/kg (up to 2 for recomposition); Attia targets 1.2-1.6 and deliberately aims near 2 to buffer daily variability; Huberman's rule of thumb is ~1 gram per pound.

Why more is the longevity move — not a risk. The fear that high protein shortens lifespan (via IGF-1/mTOR) comes from guest Valter Longo, not from the five core experts as their own position. Attia's resolution: human aging after 50-65 is dominated by sarcopenia, frailty, and falls — so the mouse low-protein-extends-lifespan data doesn't transfer to people. He cites the epidemiological crossover where higher protein is associated with lower all-cause mortality after 50. Patrick's resolution: exercise redirects IGF-1 toward muscle and brain and away from cancer cells.

The non-negotiable attached to every number: resistance training. Anabolic resistance is driven mostly by inactivity, not age itself, and training restores the muscle-building response — which is why every quantitative expert conditions the higher-protein target on lifting. Distribute it across 3-4 meals of ~20-25g (Hyman suggests a 30-40g protein-forward first meal). One honest caveat: these targets assume healthy kidneys — Attia and Patrick both note the kidney-damage fear lacks clinical-trial support for healthy people, but those with kidney disease should consult a physician.