Protein per kg of Body Weight: What the Research Shows
Protein per kg of body weight is how the research measures protein. This page shows the amounts published studies and expert groups have used, worked out in grams for the average Australian man (86.9 kg) and woman (72.9 kg), then in real food: steak, eggs, fish and whey.
A summary of published research, not a dietary recommendation. Speak to your doctor or an Accredited Practising Dietitian before making big changes to what you eat, especially if you have a health condition.
Protein intake calculator
Enter your weight to see every research amount in grams for you.
Research amounts, not a recommendation. Speak to your doctor or an Accredited Practising Dietitian before making big changes, especially if you have a health condition.
How much protein per day? The research table
The Australian RDI is the first row. It is set so that nearly all healthy people don't fall short. The rows under it show what research on ageing, training and body composition has looked at.
| What the research looked at | Protein per kg | Average man (86.9 kg) | Average woman (72.9 kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| The baseline | |||
|
Australian RDI, adults 19 to 70 Australian RDI The RDI is set to cover the needs of nearly all healthy people, so nobody falls short. It is a floor, not the amount research has tested for strength, ageing or body composition. Every row below sits above it. NHMRC |
Men 0.84 g/kg/day, women 0.75 g/kg/day | 73 g/day | 55 g/day |
|
Australian RDI, over 70 Australian RDI The only age group where the RDI goes up. NHMRC |
Men 1.07 g/kg/day, women 0.94 g/kg/day |
91 g/day at 85.2 kg (65+) |
67 g/day at 71.5 kg (65+) |
| Ageing well | |||
|
Adults over 65 Expert position Experts reviewing the research put the intake for healthy adults over 65 at 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg, above the RDI for anyone under 70. European experts (ESPEN) reached the same range. Bauer 2013, Deutz 2014 |
1.0 to 1.2 g/kg/day |
85 to 102 g/day at 85.2 kg (65+) |
72 to 86 g/day at 71.5 kg (65+) |
|
Adults over 65 who exercise Expert position For older adults who train or stay active, the experts set the intake higher again. Bauer 2013 |
1.2 g/kg/day or more |
102 g/day or more at 85.2 kg (65+) |
86 g/day or more at 71.5 kg (65+) |
|
Keeping lean mass, 70s Supported by research People who ate the most protein lost about 40% less lean mass over 3 years than people who ate the least. This was an observational study, so it shows a link rather than proof. Houston 2008 |
Highest fifth of protein intake vs lowest fifth | See research | See research |
|
Protein per meal, older adults Supported by research In this study, older men needed about two thirds more protein in a meal than younger men to reach the same muscle-building response. Moore 2015 |
0.40 g/kg per meal (older) vs 0.24 g/kg (younger) |
34 g per meal at 85.2 kg (65+) |
29 g per meal at 71.5 kg (65+) |
| Training and body composition | |||
|
Muscle gain with resistance training Strong evidence Across the studies, gains in muscle from training levelled off at around 1.6 g/kg a day of total protein, about double the RDI. Morton 2018 |
About 1.6 g/kg/day | 139 g/day | 117 g/day |
|
People who exercise Expert position The society's position is that this range suits most people who exercise. Jäger 2017 |
1.4 to 2.0 g/kg/day | 122 to 174 g/day | 102 to 146 g/day |
|
Losing fat while training Supported by research The higher-protein group gained 1.2 kg of lean mass and lost 4.8 kg of fat. The lower-protein group gained 0.1 kg of lean mass and lost 3.5 kg of fat. Longland 2016 |
2.4 g/kg/day vs 1.2 g/kg/day | 209 g/day | 175 g/day |
|
Fullness Supported by research Research shows higher-protein meals leave people feeling fuller. The same review found no clear effect on how much people ate at the next meal. Leidy 2015 |
1.2 to 1.6 g/kg/day, with 25 to 30 g per meal | 104 to 139 g/day | 87 to 117 g/day |
| How to spread it | |||
|
Protein per meal, adults Supported by research The muscle-building response to a meal levelled off around this amount in younger adults. The sports nutrition society also sets a target of 0.7 to 3 g of leucine per meal. Moore 2015, Jäger 2017 |
0.24 to 0.25 g/kg per meal | 22 g per meal | 18 g per meal |
|
Even meals vs a big dinner Emerging research Spreading protein evenly gave 25% more muscle protein building over 24 hours than eating most of it at dinner. Mamerow 2014 |
About 30 g at each of 3 meals | About 30 g x 3 meals | About 30 g x 3 meals |
|
One big protein meal Emerging research 100 g in one meal gave a bigger and longer muscle-building response (more than 12 hours) than 25 g, and the researchers found no upper limit. This matters if you eat one or two large meals a day. Trommelen 2023 |
100 g of protein in one meal vs 25 g | 100 g in one meal | 100 g in one meal |
| Safety | |||
|
High intakes for a year No harm found A year at this intake showed no harmful effects on blood lipids, liver or kidney function. An earlier 8-week study at 4.4 g/kg found no gain in body fat. Antonio 2016, Antonio 2014 |
2.5 to 3.3 g/kg/day | 217 to 287 g/day | 182 to 241 g/day |
|
Kidney function No harm found Across trials, higher-protein diets did not change kidney function in healthy adults. Anyone with a kidney condition should talk to their doctor about protein. Devries 2018 |
Higher vs normal protein intakes | See research | See research |
Free: the one-page protein research table (PDF)
The research amounts and the "what 30 g looks like" food table on one printable A4 page.
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Done. Your table is ready to download.
Download the PDFHow much protein in steak, eggs and whey? What 30 g looks like
How much of each food gives 30 g of protein, the leucine that comes with it, and the energy. Leucine is the amino acid the sports nutrition research uses as the per-meal marker (0.7 to 3 g). Animal foods reach it in an ordinary serve. Plant foods need more food, and more energy, for the same protein.
| Food | For 30 g protein | Leucine | Energy (kcal) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef steak (top sirloin), cooked | 103 g | 2.4 g | 226 |
| Lamb leg (Australian), cooked | 105 g | 2.1 g | 199 |
| Beef liver, pan-fried | 113 g | 2.8 g | 198 |
| Chicken breast, roasted | 97 g | 2.3 g | 160 |
| Sardines, canned in oil, drained | 122 g | 2.4 g | 253 |
| Salmon (farmed), cooked | 136 g | 2.4 g | 280 |
| Eggs, whole | About 5 eggs (239 g) | 2.6 g | 342 |
|
Native whey protein isolate (Propel) Energy worked out from the label; leucine from published native whey figures |
36 g of powder | About 3.8 to 4.0 g | 134 |
| Firm tofu | 174 g | 2.4 g | 250 |
| Lentils, cooked | 333 g | 2.2 g | 386 |
|
Collagen / gelatin powder No tryptophan, so not a complete protein |
35 g | 0.9 g | 117 |
Food figures per 100 g from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy). Whey protein and energy from the Propel Health label.
Where Propel fits
Food first. These are the jars that make the numbers above easier to hit on a busy day.
25.1 g of protein in a 30 g serve, from Australian grass-fed native whey. Three ingredients: whey protein isolate, natural vanilla and organic stevia. One serve sits in the per-meal range in the table, and native whey carries more leucine than regular whey.
Pure creatine monohydrate, unflavoured, one ingredient. Much of the training research above sits alongside creatine research, so we put that in its own table. See the creatine research table.
Collagen has no tryptophan, so it is not a complete protein and the research rows above do not count it. Use it on top of your complete protein, not instead of it.
Partially Hydrolysed Guar Gum (PHGG)
High-protein eating is often low in fibre. One 6 g serve gives 5.2 g of dietary fibre and dissolves clear, so it disappears into a whey shake or a glass of water.
Protein per kg chart for printing
The same research on one A4 page, for the fridge, the gym wall or the clinic.
How the grams are worked out
Grams equal the per-kilogram amount used in the research multiplied by the weight, rounded to the nearest gram. Average weights come from the ABS National Health Survey 2022: adults 86.9 kg (men) and 72.9 kg (women), and ages 65 and over 85.2 kg and 71.5 kg. Every study was checked against its PubMed abstract.
Sources
- Antonio J et al. A High Protein Diet Has No Harmful Effects: A One-Year Crossover Study in Resistance-Trained Males. J Nutr Metab. 2016 Link
- Antonio J et al. The effects of consuming a high protein diet (4.4 g/kg/d) on body composition in resistance-trained individuals. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014 Link
- Bauer J et al. Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people (PROT-AGE). J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2013 Link
- Deutz NE et al. Protein intake and exercise for optimal muscle function with aging: ESPEN Expert Group. Clin Nutr. 2014 Link
- Devries MC et al. Changes in Kidney Function Do Not Differ between Healthy Adults Consuming Higher- Compared with Lower- or Normal-Protein Diets: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Nutr. 2018 Link
- Gorissen SHM et al. Protein content and amino acid composition of commercially available plant-based protein isolates. Amino Acids. 2018 Link
- Hamarsland H et al. Native whey protein with high levels of leucine results in similar post-exercise muscular anabolic responses as regular whey protein: a randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017 Link
- Hamarsland H et al. No Difference between Spray Dried Milk and Native Whey Supplementation with Strength Training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2019 Link
- Houston DK et al. Dietary protein intake is associated with lean mass change in older, community-dwelling adults (Health ABC). Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Link
- Jäger R et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017 Link
- Leidy HJ et al. The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Link
- Longland TM et al. Higher compared with lower dietary protein during an energy deficit combined with intense exercise promotes greater lean mass gain and fat mass loss. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016 Link
- Mamerow MM et al. Dietary protein distribution positively influences 24-h muscle protein synthesis in healthy adults. J Nutr. 2014 Link
- Moore DR et al. Protein ingestion to stimulate myofibrillar protein synthesis requires greater relative protein intakes in healthy older versus younger men. J Gerontol A. 2015 Link
- Morton RW 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. Br J Sports Med. 2018 Link
- NHMRC. Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand: Protein. Link
- Trommelen J et al. The anabolic response to protein ingestion during recovery from exercise has no upper limit in magnitude and duration in vivo in humans. Cell Rep Med. 2023 Link
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (food composition per 100 g). Link