A leading dietician asserts that people should consume twice as much muscle-building protein as the NHS recommends.
Other specialists have also deemed the existing recommendations obsolete and have called for their revision to enhance protein levels.
Protein is a critical component for creating muscle, bone, and skin. Currently, the NHS and other international health organizations recommend daily consumption of approximately 0.75 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
This translates to daily 56g per day for the average male and 45g per day for women or one medium-sized chicken breast.
Professor Stuart Phillips, a specialist in muscle growth from McMaster University in Canada, argues that this is insufficient.
He stated, “I’ve been stating for over 20 years that the recommended daily intake of protein is inadequate.”
Prof. Phillips suggests consuming at least 1,2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight every day. This is similar to a portion of eggs at breakfast, a portion of tuna for lunch, and a chicken breast for dinner for younger men and women, respectively.
Prof. Phillips is in the process of producing a protein supplement that could be beneficial to adults over 60 who are susceptible to age-related muscle loss.
The British Dietetic Association’s Dr. Linia Patel does not advise daily doses as high as those advocated by Prof. Phillips, but she thinks that guidelines ought to be revised.
The NHS recommendations are based on studies conducted decades ago, although we now have far more precise methods for measuring and assessing protein intake.
The previous nitrogen balance investigations evaluated the amount of nitrogen in the perspiration and urine of volunteers.
The body releases nitrogen when muscular tissue expands.
Scientists determined the amount of protein required to boost development by monitoring the quantities of nitrogen generated by the body when muscle tissue expands.
Dr. Patel asserts that contemporary procedures, in which food containing radioactive tracer assists in tracking the conversion of protein to muscle, provide a more realistic picture.
“This demonstrates that more protein is required than previously believed to drive muscle growth,” she adds, adding that her patients consistently fail to consume enough protein.
