Protein Calculator for Older Adults

The PROT-AGE study group position paper (Bauer and colleagues, 2013) suggests that healthy older adults eat at least 1.0 to 1.2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. For a 70 kg person that is 70 to 84 g a day, midpoint 77 g. For a 60 kg person it is 60 to 72 g. This is above the 0.8 g per kilogram allowance for younger healthy adults.

Guidance for people aged 65 and over differs from guidance for younger adults, and many older adults have health conditions that change what is sensible. That is why this calculator has its own page, why the age selector on the main calculator points here, and why the page asks you to speak to a clinician or dietitian before making changes.

The ISSN per-meal figure of 20 to 40 g, or about 0.25 g per kilogram, comes from research on exercising adults, and it is used here as a general reference. At 77 g a day, three meals give about 26 g each and four give about 19 g. Smaller meals are easier when appetite is low, so the example days below can be built from meals of 450 kcal or less.

Pick a figure inside the range, then use the example days under the result to see it in food. If you choose five meals, the days are composed from smaller meals, which many people find easier. The food tables show grams of protein per portion, and the 30 g guide shows single-meal portions.

This page is general information for healthy adults, generated from published formulas and not reviewed by a doctor or dietitian. It does not diagnose or treat anything. Because guidance for older adults depends on health, ask your clinician or a registered dietitian what is right for you, especially with kidney disease or any other medical condition.

A 70 kg adult aged 65 or older: 70 x 1.0 = 70 g and 70 x 1.2 = 84 g, midpoint 77 g. Over four meals the midpoint is about 19 g a meal.

A 60 kg adult: 60 to 72 g, midpoint 66 g, about 22 g over three meals.