Hey Reader,​

Maybe you’ve been working on eating more protein.

You added eggs at breakfast, started buying Greek yogurt, or finally found a protein shake that doesn’t taste like sweetened drywall.

Then TIME publishes this headline:

“Eating Less Protein May Help You Age Better and Live Longer.”

Seriously?

Nutrition advice can feel like someone keeps moving the finish line. Just when you think you’re doing something helpful, another headline makes you question it.

So I looked at the research behind this one.

The paper was a review of more than 350 studies on protein and aging.

Every controlled experiment showing that protein restriction can extend lifespan has been conducted in nonhuman organisms, including yeast, insects, fish, and rodents.

The review also included a handful of small human diet trials lasting approximately 4 to 8 weeks. Those trials found some interesting changes in blood sugar, insulin sensitivity, energy use, body fat, and the way cells respond to nutrients.

Human lifespan and long-term quality of life were outside the scope of those trials. We still don’t know whether deliberately eating less protein helps people live longer or age better.

That’s a pretty big missing piece.

Why do I still encourage my clients to eat more protein?

Because many of the women I work with frequently don’t eat enough protein, especially at breakfast or lunch.

Protein can help make meals more satisfying. It also gives your body what it needs to repair and maintain muscle.

And if you’re a woman in your 30s, 40s, 50s, or 60s +, protecting that muscle deserves some attention.

Muscle and strength gradually become harder to maintain as we age. Hormonal changes through perimenopause and menopause can add another layer to that challenge.

Muscle helps you:

• Preserve more lean tissue when you lose weight
• Maintain strong bones and better balance
• Recover from workouts and everyday activity
• Support healthy blood sugar
• Climb stairs, carry groceries, hike, travel, garden, and get off the floor without planning an elaborate exit strategy

The target is enough protein to support your body. There’s no prize for adding protein to your water, shampoo, chips, cereal, and every snack that wanders through your kitchen.

For many women, a useful place to start is:

• Include 20 to 40 grams of protein, or about 1 to 2 palm-sized servings, at each meal
• Strength train 2 to 3 times per week
• Eat plenty of plant foods
• Adjust the amount based on your body size, activity, health, and goals

And when another nutrition headline makes you wonder whether you need to redo your entire grocery list, ask:

1. Was the research conducted in humans?
2. Did it measure the outcome promised in the headline?
3. Were the people studied anything like me?

The research behind this headline gives scientists an interesting question to keep studying.

For women in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s +, we already have good reasons to eat enough protein and protect our strength.

Your muscles are working for you every time you carry groceries, climb stairs, pick up your kids or grandkids, or haul six shopping bags inside because making two trips would be unreasonable.

They’re worth feeding.

Until Next Time,