Your result
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How it is calculated
Protein needs are expressed in grams per kilogram of body weight per day:
protein (g/day) = body weight (kg) × g/kg for your situation
| Situation | g/kg/day | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy adults (RDA) | 0.8 | US National Academies, 2005 |
| Healthy adults aged 65+ | 1.0–1.2 | PROT-AGE Study Group, 2013 |
| Athletes and regular exercisers | 1.2–2.0 | ACSM / Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics / Dietitians of Canada, 2016 |
| Resistance training | 1.6–2.2 | Morton et al., 2018 meta-analysis: gains plateaued around 1.6 g/kg, upper confidence limit 2.2 g/kg |
The 0.8 g/kg RDA is the intake that covers the needs of nearly all healthy adults; it is a minimum, not an optimum for active people. The per-meal figure simply divides the daily amount by the number of meals you enter.
If your BMI is 30 or more
Fat tissue needs very little protein, so multiplying actual body weight by g/kg overstates needs at higher body weights. When you enter your height and your BMI is 30 or more, the result also shows the amount calculated from the weight corresponding to a BMI of 25 at your height. This is a convention used on this site to give a more conservative figure, not a clinical prescription.
Limitations
- Kidney disease: if you have chronic kidney disease or reduced kidney function, do not increase your protein intake without speaking to your doctor or dietitian. People with kidney disease often need a specific, sometimes lower, amount.
- The ranges are for healthy adults. They do not apply to pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, illness, recovery from surgery or liver disease, where needs are set individually.
- They are population reference values, not an individual prescription.
Sources
- Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2005. Read the source (opens in a new tab)
- Bauer J, Biolo G, Cederholm T, et al. Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people: a position paper from the PROT-AGE Study Group. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2013;14(8):542–559. Read the source (opens in a new tab)
- Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. American College of Sports Medicine Joint Position Statement. Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016;48(3):543–568. Read the source (opens in a new tab)
- Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, et al. 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. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(6):376–384. Read the source (opens in a new tab)