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Dietary recommendations for protein intake for adults and older adults

  • Page | Last updated: 31 Mar 2026
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

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Recommended Intakes in adults and older adults

EFSA 2012 (pdf)
  • For healthy adults of both sexes, AR for protein set at 0.66 g per kg body weight per day, while the PRI is set at 0.83 g per kg body weight per day.
  • In adults an intake of twice the PRI can be regarded as safe; some physically active and healthy individuals in Europe regularly consume such intakes. 'Concerns about the potential detrimental effects of very high protein intake remain controversial'.
  • EFSA also concludes that 'the available data are insufficient to specifically determine the protein requirement in older adults and that at least the same level of protein intake as for young adults is required for older adults. As sedentary older adults have a lower energy requirement the protein to energy ratio of this subgroup is higher than for younger adults'.
WHO/FAO/UNU 2007
  • For healthy adults of both sexes, 0.66 g per kg body weight per day of protein accepted as AR, while the save level of intake was set at 0.83 g per kg body weight per day, expected to meet the protein needs of 97.5% of healthy adult population.
  • 'No safe upper limit has been identified, and it is unlikely that intakes of twice the safe level are associated with any risk. However, caution is advised to those contemplating the very high intakes of 3–4 times the safe intake, since such intakes approach the tolerable upper limit and cannot be assumed to be risk-free'.
  • Requirements for the elderly population are considered to be equal to that of adults.  However, 'for any diet considered to be limiting in protein, the population groups most likely to be at risk are elderly people, especially sedentary women. This means that while calculated protein requirements for elderly people are not different from those for younger adults, unless the elderly people are physically active they will require more energy-dense food'.
DGE 2019
  • Adults under 65 years of age: ‘the recommended protein intake for men and women is 0.8 g protein/kg body weight per day corresponding to a recommended daily protein intake of 55–57 g protein for men and 47–48 g protein for women, respectively ‘ 
  • Adults 65 years of age and older: ‘an estimated value is set at 1.0 g/kg body weight per day for both women and men above 65 years. In relation to reference body weight, the estimated value for adequate protein intake is 57 g/day for women and 67 g/day for men.’
NNR 2023 (pdf)
  • ‘AR and RI were set to 0.66 g/kg and 0.83 g/kg body weight per day for adults, respectively […] The recommended intake range is 10–20 E%.’  
  • ‘With energy intake below approximately 8 [megajoules] (e.g., at low body weight, low physical activity levels or during intentional weight loss), the protein E% should increase accordingly to ensure that the AR and RI is met.’
  • ‘recent studies have found that intakes above the RI may be optimal to prevent decline of physical functioning… Therefore, the recommended range for older adults is 1.2–1.5 g/kg body weight, approximately 15–20 E%‘
ANSES
  • ‘reference intake for proteins at 0.83 g/kg/d for adults in good health.‘ 
  • ‘Given the lack of available data, it is difficult to define a safe upper limit for protein intake. In the current state of knowledge, intakes between 0.83 and 2.2 g/kg/d of protein (which is 10 to 27% of energy intake) can be considered to be satisfactory for an adult individual under 60 years of age.’  
  • ‘The population reference intake is slightly increased for the elderly, of the order of 1 g/kg/d’
More information and links
Originally Published | Last Updated

13 Nov 2020 | 31 Mar 2026

Knowledge service | MetadataHealth Promotion and Disease Prevention | Risk factors of non-communicable diseases | Protein
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