Nutrition Hotline
By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
QUESTION: I read that it's important for older people to have protein at every meal. Is there any truth to that?
A.A. via email
ANSWER: As a part of the aging process, we lose muscle. This happens gradually, similar to the way our bones weaken with aging. Loss of muscle can make people more likely to fall and affect their ability to do things they want to do. In order to lessen the impact of the seemingly inevitable loss of muscle, it's important to build up muscle — the more you have, the less the overall effect of a loss of 1-2% of muscle mass per year after age 50 is. Some research suggests that a slightly higher protein intake (between 0.36 and 0.57 grams per pound of body weight per day), coupled with resistance training, can lead to a higher muscle mass in older people.1 Spreading out protein over the entire day, rather than eating a low protein breakfast and lunch and a high protein dinner, as is typical for many Americans, may also help to enhance muscle mass and strength and may improve mobility2, 3.
Let's see how this might work. Suppose that we have an older vegan man whose protein intake is 81 grams per day (about 0.45 grams of protein per pound of body weight). He eats 3 meals that look like this:
Breakfast:- Orange juice
- Toast with avocado
- Oatmeal with banana and almond milk
- Veggie pocket sandwich
- Tortilla chips and salsa
- Almond milk
- 2 soy burgers on buns
- Baked potato
- Baked beans
He's getting about 20% of his protein at breakfast, 14% at lunch, and 66% at dinner.
Suppose he makes changes:
- Soymilk instead of almond at breakfast and lunch
- Hummus instead of avocado on toast at breakfast
- Add chickpeas to his lunch pocket sandwich
- Replace tortilla chips at lunch with roasted almonds
- Try a tofu and veggie stir-fry at dinner with brown rice in place of the burgers, potato, and baked beans
He is still meeting his protein needs, but now he's getting about a third of his protein at each meal. This more even protein distribution could help him stay stronger longer.
References
- Effect of protein source on resistive-training-induced changes in body composition and muscle size in older men. Am J Clin Nutr 2002; 76(3): 511-517.
- Relation between mealtime distribution of protein intake and lean mass loss in free-living older adults of the NuAge study. Am J Clin Nutr 2016;104:694-703.
- Quebec Longitudinal Study on Nutrition as a Determinant of Successful Aging (NuAge study). Am J Clin Nutr 2017; 106:113-24.
