Don't Fear Protein: Protect Your Muscles and Independence in Older Age

Many older people have been told for years: "Too much protein is bad for your kidneys."

Because of this, some cut back on meat, eggs, dairy, beans, and other protein foods — just at the time of life when their muscles most need support.

At the same time, doctors now know that one of the biggest problems of ageing is sarcopenia — the gradual, ongoing loss of muscle mass and strength. Sarcopenia makes it harder to:

• Walk quickly
• Climb stairs
• Get up from a chair
• Keep balance and avoid falls

Weak muscles are closely linked to frailty, fractures, and loss of independence. The good news is that you can slow this process, and protein is a key part of it.

1. It Starts Earlier Than You Think

Muscle loss isn't something that suddenly appears at 75 — it begins quietly around age 30, with the average adult losing about 3–5% of muscle mass per decade. This loss is usually invisible at first, but it speeds up after age 60, when it can reach 3% per year. That means the weakness someone notices at 75 has usually been building for 40 years. This is exactly why the advice below matters well before symptoms appear — the best time to start protecting muscle is in your 40s and 50s, not after the first fall or fracture.

2. Protein and Muscles: Why It Matters More With Age

Protein is the material your body uses to build and repair muscle. As we get older, the body reacts less strongly to small amounts of protein — a phenomenon sometimes called anabolic resistance. This means older adults often need more protein per kilogram of body weight than younger people to keep the same muscle.

Many experts now suggest that adults over 65 aim for at least 1.0–1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. For a 70 kg person, this is about 70–85 grams of protein per day, spread across meals.

Good ways to reach this:

• Fish, poultry, eggs, lean meat
• Yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese
• Beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, nuts, and seeds

Try to include 20–30 grams of protein at each meal — this amount is known to help stimulate muscle building in older adults.

A note for vegans and vegetarians

Plant proteins are just as capable of supporting muscle as animal protein — but they generally need a bit more planning. Plant sources tend to have slightly less of certain muscle-building amino acids (like leucine) and are somewhat less easily absorbed than animal protein, so vegan and vegetarian eaters may need a modestly higher total protein target and should combine several plant sources at each meal (for example, legumes with grains, or tofu with nuts) rather than relying on one. Research on healthy plant-based diets in older adults has found they can support muscle protein-building just as well as an omnivorous diet — but this advantage disappears if the diet leans on refined carbohydrates and low-protein comfort foods instead of legumes, soy, and whole grains. In practice, this means that if you are vegan or vegetarian and are past your mid-forties, it is worth deliberately reviewing whether your usual meals are actually reaching 20–30 grams of combined plant protein each time, rather than assuming they do.

3. What About the Kidneys?

Here is the important reassurance: in people with normal kidney function, the best current evidence — including a recent 10-year study following more than 1,300 middle-aged and older adults — shows that higher protein intake in the ranges discussed here is not associated with faster loss of kidney function or a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease.

Older observational studies had raised some concern about high-protein diets and kidney health over time, but this concern appears to be tied mainly to specific protein sources — daily red meat intake shows the strongest association with kidney strain, while protein from fish, poultry, dairy, and plant sources such as legumes does not show the same pattern. This is a useful, practical distinction: the source of your protein matters, not just the total amount.

Other research suggests that older adults who eat more protein often have better muscle mass, better function, and a lower risk of sarcopenia than those who eat too little.

So if your kidneys are normal or only mildly reduced, there is no good reason to be afraid of eating enough protein to protect your muscles — but it is sensible to favor a varied mix of fish, poultry, dairy, legumes, and plant proteins over heavy daily reliance on red meat.

However: if you have advanced chronic kidney disease or a significant amount of protein in your urine, your situation is different. In that case, protein intake must be adjusted together with a nephrologist and dietitian, to protect both your kidneys and your muscles.

4. Simple Checklist for Readers

Ask your doctor about your kidneys

• Do I have chronic kidney disease?
• What is my eGFR?

If your kidneys are reasonably healthy

• Aim for around 1.0–1.2 g protein/kg/day, and include protein at every meal.
• Favor fish, poultry, dairy, and plant proteins like legumes over daily red meat.
• If vegan or vegetarian, combine plant sources at each meal and check that your totals are actually reaching target.

Combine protein with movement

• Do some resistance or strength exercise 2–3 times per week: bands, light weights, or body-weight exercises.
• Keep walking as regularly as you safely can.

Watch for early warning signs

• Slower walking speed
• Trouble getting out of chairs
• Feeling "soft" or tired muscles

These are signals to increase protein and movement, not to give up — and the earlier you notice them, the easier they are to reverse.

5. The Main Message

If you are an older adult and your kidneys are not severely damaged: eating enough protein — starting well before old age, and adjusted thoughtfully if you're vegan or vegetarian — is one of the best ways to protect your muscles, strength, and independence.

You don't need to be afraid of protein. Used wisely, and started early, it is your ally, not your enemy.

Mykola Iabluchanskyi together with Andriy Yabluchanskiy