Answer

How much protein per day for longevity?

Protein protein longevity dosage muscle

By Arun AgrahriLast reviewed 3 timecoded sources

Short answer

The counted sources put it at 1.2 g/kg of body weight a day as a bare minimum, up to about 2 g/kg, well above the 0.8 g/kg RDA. Each backs that range only in part, so the evidence leans rather than settles. Precis has not read a study on it yet.

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people setting a daily protein target for longevity.
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Based on what researchers say in public interviews on YouTube. Educational only, not medical advice. Ask a qualified clinician before changing a supplement, medication, treatment, or testing plan.
Leaning for

Eating more protein than the official recommended amount preserves muscle and supports healthy aging.

The verdict on Protein overall. 16 sources: 5 positive, 11 partly

What the evidence says

positive partly neutral negative Each researcher and each study counts once per claim, however often they come up.

  1. Leaning for

    1.2 to 2 g of protein per kg of body weight a day is the right intake for longevity.

    12 sources: 11 partly, 1 negative.

    Researchers say

    6 partly

    Studies show

    5 partly, 1 negative

    5 papers we read · 1 cited on tape, not yet checked against the paper

    65 more not counted · see why
    We could not tell what position it takes on this claim. 24
    We could not confirm who is speaking. 15
    A host's remark inside an interview. 10
    The study cited could not be identified. 10
    We could not tell where the evidence comes from. 5
    No quote from the tape on record yet. 1
    Show the receipts from 12 sources

    1. Mark Hyman Video · partly · 5 mentions

      on The Dr. Hyman Show, at 08:24 · positive · Opinion

      “probably more like up to a gram per pound or 1.6 or even up to uh two grams per kilo uh in a day”

      on Rangan Chatterjee's channel, at 01:23 · partly · Opinion

      “for people getting older it shouldn't be probably 0.8 it should be more like 1.6”

      on Rangan Chatterjee's channel, at 45:11 · partly · Opinion

      “And for people getting older it shouldn't be probably 08. It should be more like 1.6.”

      on The Dr. Hyman Show, at 45:14 · partly · Opinion

      “you need actually probably 1.2 1.5 even 2 grams per kilo as you age depending on your activity level”

      on Rangan Chatterjee's channel, at 57:48 · partly · Opinion

      “for people getting older, it shouldn't be probably 0.8. It should be more like 1.6.”

    2. Dr. Layne Norton, on Huberman Lab, at 1:41:50 Video · partly · Opinion

      “I would shoot for 1.6 grams per kilogram. If you can do more, great.”

    3. Anurag Singh, on The Dr. Hyman Show, at 33:58 Video · partly · Opinion

      “Yeah, I think with aging it's should be up. So about a one 1.2 even per grams of per kilogram.”

    4. Peter Attia, on The Drive, at 1:40:33 Video · partly · Opinion

      “you you probably want at least 1.6 gram uh of protein per kilogram of body”

    5. Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, on The Dr. Hyman Show, at 46:16 Video · partly · Opinion

      “amount of dietary protein would be one gram per pound ideal body weight”

    6. David Allison, on The Drive, at 1:18:49 Video · partly · Opinion

      “then I would aim for in the neighborhood of two uh grams per kilogram per day per person”

    7. Stuart Phillips, McMaster University, cited on FoundMyFitness, at 25:03 Study · partly

      “it's more like 1.2 Gams of protein per kilogram of body weight as the bare minimum”

    8. Other primary study, Am J Clin Nutr, 2021, PMID 33742197 Study · partly

      Yet in participants with normal kidney function, a low DPI of <0.6 g/kg ABW/day was associated with higher mortality, whereas higher DPI levels were not associated with death: the aHRs were 1.18 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.34), 0.92 (95% CI: 0.81, 1.04), and 0.99 (95% CI: 0.85, 1.16) for DPI <0.6, 1.0 to <1.4, and ≥1.4 g/kg ABW/day, respectively.

    9. Other primary study, JAMA Netw Open, 2024, PMID 39110456 Study · partly

      The inverse association between total protein intake and mortality was stronger among participants without CKD (HR, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.79-0.92]) per 0.20-g/kg/d increment) relative to those with CKD (HR, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.86-0.98] per 0.20-g/kg/d increment; P for interaction = .02) ( Table 2 ).

    10. Other primary study, Medicine (Baltimore), 2025, PMID 41465950 Study · partly

      After multivariable adjustments, the protein intake in Groups 1C and 1D had hazard ratios (HRs) of 0.78 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.62, 0.99) and 0.76 (95% CI: 0.59, 0.99), respectively, compared to Group 1A.

    11. Other primary study, Nutr Health, 2026, PMID 42530538 Study · partly

      These findings suggest that moderate protein intake was associated with the lowest risks of ADL decline and death, particularly among women.

    12. Other primary study, J Nutr Health Aging, 2026, PMID 41260173 Study · negative

      High-protein diet was also associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality, heart failure, myocardial infarction and CVD death (HR = 1.39, 95% CI, 1.17-1.65, P < 0.001; HR = 1.43, 95% CI, 1.07-1.92, P = 0.015; HR = 1.50, 95% CI, 1.07-2.10, P = 0.019; HR = 1.73, 95% CI, 1.12-2.65, P = 0.013, respectively).

Where the sources disagree

Leaning for

1.2 to 2 g of protein per kg of body weight a day is the right intake for longevity.

Partly 11 sources

Researchers

Studies

Against it 1 source

Precis is not affiliated with or endorsed by YouTube or by any researcher, show or publisher we quote. We take no sponsorship, ad or affiliate money, and every verdict is our own review of what was said. How we stay independent

Which podcast claims did we check?

Claims from podcasts on this question, checked against the studies that test them.

Detailed Answer

All seven credited sources on this claim back the 1.2-2 g/kg range only in part, across 11 counted mentions on tape. Precis has not read any studies on it yet.

The figures on tape

Mark Hyman, in interviews on Rangan Chatterjee's show, says older people should eat more like 1.6 g/kg, not 0.8. On his own show he puts it at 1.2 to 2 g/kg depending on activity. Layne Norton, a guest on Andrew Huberman's show, would shoot for 1.6 g/kg and says more is fine.

Anurag Singh, a guest on Hyman's show, puts it at about 1.2 g/kg with aging. Rhonda Patrick, in a talk on her channel, cites redone studies by Stuart Phillips at McMaster University and others that set 1.2 g/kg as the bare minimum to stop the body pulling amino acids from muscle. On the high end, David Allison, a guest on Peter Attia's show, aims for about 2 g/kg a day.

Per kilogram or per pound

Most counted figures are per kilogram of body weight. Gabrielle Lyon, a guest on Hyman's show, uses one gram per pound of ideal body weight instead. That works out higher for most people, so check which unit a number uses.

Protein and training

Peter Attia, on his own show, says you probably want at least 1.6 g/kg, and more as you get older. He says protein alone does build some muscle, but the effect is dwarfed by protein plus a training stimulus.

What is not settled

No counted source argues for less protein, so the low-protein case for longevity has no mention on this claim. No study Precis holds tests these intakes against lifespan in people.

Related Questions

Is the 0.8 g/kg RDA enough?
Not on the counted tape. Hyman says older people should eat more like 1.6 g/kg instead of 0.8. David Allison, a guest on Attia's show, says the RDA is probably fine to survive, and aims for about 2 g/kg to thrive.
Is protein per kilogram or per pound?
Most counted figures are per kilogram. Lyon uses one gram per pound of ideal body weight, which works out higher, so check the unit before you compare numbers.
Do you need to lift weights for protein to work?
Protein alone builds some muscle, Peter Attia says on his own show, but the effect is dwarfed by protein plus training.

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