New U.S. Dietary Guidelines Raise Protein Recommendation as Research on Restriction and Aging Grows
Starting in January 2026, the U.S. federal dietary guidelines will suggest a daily protein consumption of 1.2 to 1.6 grams for each kilogram of body weight, an increase from the previous recommendation of 0.8 grams established in the late 1980s. For a person weighing 150 pounds, this translates to approximately 82 to 109 grams per day. The World Health Organization advises that protein should account for 10 to 15 percent of total daily caloric intake. David Allison from Baylor College of Medicine endorses this revision, while Stuart Phillips of McMaster University highlights the importance of physical activity. Daphene Altema-Johnson from Johns Hopkins points out that many Americans already fulfill these new guidelines. A recent review in Cell Press Blue indicates that low-protein diets could aid in healthy aging, with experts recommending plant-based protein sources and warning against processed options.
Key facts
- As of January 2026, the U.S. federal dietary guideline recommends 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily, up from about 0.8 grams per kilogram since the late 1980s
- The World Health Organization recommends protein make up 10 to 15 percent of an adult's daily calorie intake, fats 15 to 30 percent and carbohydrates 45 to 75 percent
- The United States introduced a recommended dietary allowance for protein in the early 1940s as a guide for planning adequate nutrition amid World War II food shortages
- A literature review published last month in Cell Press Blue highlights studies in which rodents and flies fed low-protein diets lived longer than those eating more protein
- Athletes tend to stop seeing major muscle-building benefits beyond 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, according to exercise physiologist Stuart Phillips
- Food companies worldwide more than quadrupled the number of high-protein products offered between 2013 and 2023, researchers reported in Food Supplements and Biomaterials for Health in 2024
- A study published last year in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found athletic young adults on vegan diets built muscle proteins at the same rate as meat eaters
- A 2022 study in Cell Metabolism found the metabolic health effects of a low-protein diet in mice vary by strain and sex
Entities
Artists
- Daphene Altema-Johnson
- Teresa Fung
- David Allison
- Stuart Phillips
- Cristal Hill
- Dudley Lamming
- McKenzie Prillaman
- Emily Lankiewicz
- James Smithson
- Jane Austen
Institutions
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future
- World Health Organization
- Simmons University
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
- Baylor College of Medicine
- Children's Nutrition Research Center
- Texas Children's Hospital
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Agricultural Research Service
- McMaster University
- University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
- University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
- Cell Press Blue
- Cell Metabolism
- Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
- Food Supplements and Biomaterials for Health
- Starbucks
- Smithsonian magazine
- Nature
- Scientific American
- Science News
- Smithsonian Education Legacy Society
Locations
- United States
- Canada
- New Jersey
- England
- Bath