The Long Ride with Greg Pallone
When I started studying for my NASM sports nutrition certification, one of the first things I was asked to examine was my protein intake. Not in a general ‘are you eating enough protein’ sense, but in precise terms, based on grams per kilogram of body weight, per meal, and at what times of day.
I thought I was doing reasonably well. I eat consciously. I train consistently. But when I ran the numbers, I found that I was meaningfully below the threshold currently supported by research for someone in their late sixties who is also doing serious resistance training to preserve muscle mass. I also found that I was undereating every week.
I was making at least three of the five common mistakes described in this piece without realizing it. My research also confirms that protein advice in mainstream health guidance for adults over 60 lags significantly behind the science. The mistakes listed below are common, though they may seem like the right approach for the general population.
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Mistake 1 — You’re following the standard dietary guidelines.
The recommended dietary allowance for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. This figure appears in government dietary guidelines and on nutrition labels and is cited by most general practitioners when protein comes up in conversation.
For adults over 65, it is insufficient. Research on this topic is now substantial and consistent.
A 2025 study in Frontiers in Nutrition found that a moderately higher protein intake of 1.2 grams per kilogram per day led to significant improvements in muscle strength, reduced fat accumulation, and improved muscle composition compared with the standard 0.8-gram recommendation.
A 2023 study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a high-protein diet of 1.6 grams per kilogram per day, combined with resistance training, led to significantly greater gains in muscle mass among older men than the standard recommendation. The difference was substantial: nearly double the muscle gain.
Here’s why: The standard guideline falls short because of a phenomenon called anabolic resistance — the reduced responsiveness of older muscles to the signals that trigger muscle protein synthesis. At age 60, the same protein intake that would maintain muscle in a 35-year-old is insufficient to elicit the same response. Your muscles need more raw material to do the same job, yet the 0.8-gram guideline was not designed with this in mind.
What this means in practice: The current evidence for adults over 65 supports a daily protein intake of 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight. For a 75-kilogram person, that is 90 to 120 grams per day — substantially more than the standard recommendation of 60 grams. Most people in this age group fall well short of that amount.
One nuance worth adding for well-trained, metabolically flexible seniors: the range is not flat. If you are doing consistent resistance training alongside endurance work and have good insulin sensitivity, the evidence supports leaning toward the upper end — 1.6g per kg or slightly above on heavy training days. Metabolic flexibility improves the protein-sparing effect of fat oxidation, meaning more of the protein you consume is directed toward muscle repair rather than burned for energy. The leucine threshold per meal doesn't change — that's determined by anabolic resistance, which training improves but doesn't eliminate. But the overall efficiency of how your body handles protein improves meaningfully with training status.
Mistake 2 — You’re eating most of your protein at dinner.
This is the most common structural protein mistake among adults over 60 and one of the most consequential.
The pattern looks like this: no breakfast, or a light breakfast with minimal protein; a moderate lunch; and a dinner that contains most of the day’s protein and calories. It feels reasonable and mirrors how most people eat. However, for older adults, this pattern is a significant problem. You will be protein-deficient by the end of the day.
Here is why: Muscle protein synthesis — the process by which your body builds and repairs muscle tissue — is not a daily average. It is a per-meal response. Each meal independently triggers it, rather than being accumulated over the day. Our bodies are not very good at storing protein.
Research by Donald Layman at the University of Illinois, published in Frontiers in Nutrition in 2024, established that older adults require meals providing at least 30 grams of protein — approximately 2.8 grams of leucine — to stimulate muscle protein synthesis meaningfully. Below that threshold, the anabolic response is minimal, regardless of the rest of the day’s intake.
What this means in practice: if you eat 10 grams of protein at breakfast and 15 at lunch, you have missed two opportunities to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, and no amount of protein at dinner can make up for them. Any excess protein at dinner is oxidized for energy rather than used for muscle repair. You cannot catch up. The synthesis window for each meal is either open or closed.
A study published in Frontiers in Nutrition on the timing of protein supplementation found that taking protein at breakfast, rather than at dinner or lunch, was significantly more effective at preserving skeletal muscle mass among older adults. Breakfast is where most people lose the most ground — and where the simplest adjustments yield the clearest results.
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Mistake 3 — You’re not thinking about leucine.
Leucine is the amino acid that triggers muscle protein synthesis. Think of it as the key that turns the engine on. Without enough leucine per meal, the engine doesn’t start — no matter how much total protein you’ve consumed. The source of that protein matters.
Here’s why. For younger adults, roughly 20 grams of high-quality protein per meal provides enough leucine to trigger a meaningful anabolic response. For adults over 60, the threshold is higher — about 30 grams of high-quality protein, which delivers 2.5 to 3.0 grams of leucine. This reflects anabolic resistance: muscle sensitivity to leucine declines with age, so a stronger signal is needed to elicit the same response.
What it means in practice: The practical implications depend on your protein sources. Animal proteins — meat, fish, eggs, dairy, whey — contain 8 to 13 percent leucine by weight and generally reach the threshold at about 30 grams of protein.
Plant proteins contain 6 to 8 percent leucine and require more grams of protein to deliver the same amount of leucine. This doesn’t make plant protein inadequate; it makes the calculation more important. A vegan or plant-forward diet can absolutely meet leucine thresholds, but it requires deliberate planning that most people don’t do.
Collagen protein, widely marketed for joint health and recovery, contains almost no leucine. It will not stimulate muscle protein synthesis, regardless of the dose. If you are using collagen as a primary protein supplement, you are spending money on a product that does a different job than the one you probably think it’s doing.
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Mistake 4 — You’re not timing protein around your training.
Resistance training creates a window of enhanced muscle protein synthesis — a period when the muscle is especially responsive to protein and when conditions for repair and growth are most favourable. For older adults, managing this window matters more than for younger people because the baseline response is already blunted by anabolic resistance.
Here’s why. The research supports consuming a protein-rich meal or supplement containing at least 30 grams of high-quality protein within two hours of completing a resistance training session. This does not need to be a supplement — a meal that meets the protein and leucine threshold is equally effective. But it does need to happen in that window.
Completing a hard training session and then eating a low-protein meal, or delaying protein intake for several hours, means the enhanced synthesis window closes before it has been properly used.
What it means in practice. For seniors who are still active in endurance sports like cycling, running, and rowing, there is an additional consideration. Long aerobic sessions deplete muscle glycogen and create conditions for muscle protein breakdown. Protein intake after endurance training serves a recovery function that pure carbohydrate replenishment does not fully address. The common post-ride habit of prioritizing carbohydrate recovery drinks over protein is not wrong, but it is incomplete if muscle preservation is a goal. And it should be if you are a 60+ athlete. Add a quality protein to your post-workout recovery.
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Mistake 5 — You’re treating protein in isolation from resistance training.
This is the mistake that overarches all the others, because protein without resistance training does not build or preserve muscle after 60 in the way the marketing around protein supplements implies.
Protein provides the raw material. Resistance training provides the stimulus. You need both. Increasing protein intake without adding or maintaining resistance training yields modest benefits at best. Adding resistance training without adequate protein blunts adaptation. The two interventions interact, each amplifying the other, and neither is sufficient on its own.
Here’s why: A randomized controlled trial cited in the Journal of Gerontology found clear benefits of increased dietary protein for lean mass gain and leg strength, particularly when combined with resistance exercise. The same protein intake without resistance training produced significantly smaller effects. This is the critical caveat that gets lost in the wellness conversation about protein for older adults: protein supplements, high-protein diets, and leucine optimization are tools for people who are giving the muscle a reason to grow.
Without the training stimulus, you are feeding a muscle with no incentive to respond.
What it means in practice: There is also a metabolic consequence worth understanding. When protein intake exceeds what the body can use for muscle repair and synthesis — because no training stimulus is present — the liver converts the excess amino acids into glucose through gluconeogenesis. That glucose enters the bloodstream and, if not burned for energy, is stored as fat or raises blood sugar. More protein is better, but only up to the point the body can use it. Beyond that, the surplus undermines the very metabolic health you are trying to protect.
The practical implication is straightforward: if you are not currently doing resistance training two to three times per week, that is the first thing to address. The protein in your diet builds on the foundation of your training. It does not substitute for it.
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Here is what putting all five corrections together looks like:
Daily target:
1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For a 75-kilogram person, that is 90 to 120 grams per day. Calculate your own target and track your actual intake daily for one week. Most people are surprised by the gap. *
*There are several apps to help you track the macros in your diet. Two I recommend: MyFitnessPal and Cronometer.
Per meal target:
At least 30 to 40 percent of your daily requirement of high-quality protein per meal, three times per day. This delivers the leucine threshold required to trigger muscle protein synthesis at each meal, rather than once or twice a day.
Breakfast first:
Your grandmother was right. This is where older adults lose the most ground. After an overnight fast, your first meal sets you up for the rest of the day, especially if you plan to do resistance training. A high-protein breakfast is also more filling — you won’t be tempted to snack on high-fat, high-carb foods between meals.
I train in the morning and have my first meal, post-workout, containing 30 to 40 grams of protein, about an hour later. Three eggs with Greek yogurt and berries, or a high-quality protein shake with whole-food additions — both open the first synthesis window of the day and set the daily trajectory.
Post-training window:
After each resistance training session, have a protein-rich meal or a protein supplement within 2 hours. This is when your muscles are most responsive, and the return on investment is highest. And yes, it is totally fine to perform resistence training in a fasted state, but better to have about 100 grams of a complex carb before your workout unless you are already metabolicaly flexible.
Source quality:
Animal proteins are the most efficient sources of leucine: eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, lean meats, fish, and whey. Plant-based eaters can still meet the threshold with soy protein, legume combinations, and leucine-enriched supplements — but must plan more deliberately to meet their targets.
When I corrected these mistakes in my own diet — increasing total intake, front-loading protein at breakfast, paying attention to leucine, and timing intake around training — the change that surprised me most was not physical. It was how different the training felt within a few weeks. Recovery was measurably faster. Sessions that used to leave me flat the next day now leave me recharged and ready.
Top 5 Whole-Food Sources of Protein
1. Chicken breast (cooked, skinless) ~31g protein per 100g. The benchmark high-protein whole food. Lean, versatile, and one of the best leucine delivery vehicles available.
2. Canned tuna (in water) ~30 g protein per 100 g. Arguably, the most convenient high-protein whole food. Comparable to chicken breast with minimal preparation.
3. Salmon (wild, baked or grilled) ~25g. Salmon is one of the few whole foods that delivers high-quality protein and omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) simultaneously — both directly relevant to 60+ readers. Omega-3s reduce chronic inflammation, support cardiovascular health, and have emerging evidence for cognitive protection.
4. Cottage cheese (low-fat) ~11-12g protein per 100g — but worth noting it’s casein-dominant, which means it digests slowly and is particularly useful before sleep to support overnight muscle protein synthesis.
5. Eggs (whole) ~13g protein per 100g. Lower density than the top two, but exceptional leucine content and bioavailability — one of the most complete protein sources available. Two eggs provide roughly 12-13g.
(Bonus). Greek yogurt (plain, non-fat) ~10-17g protein per 100g. Highly practical for the breakfast protein problem and an easy way to supplement. A 200g serving delivers ~20g—half the per-meal leucine threshold — in a single food. I will share my favourite breakfast bowl recipe in a future post.
This is anabolic resistance working in reverse — not eliminated, because nothing stops it. Given the muscle’s capacity at the right protein intake, the gap between what most people over 65 eat and what the research supports is one of the most significant and correctable factors in how well we age.
The dietary guidelines will catch up eventually. They always do. In the meantime, the evidence is clear enough to act on.
As always, consult your physician or a registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, particularly if you have kidney disease, diabetes, or other conditions that may affect protein metabolism.
Next, on The Long Ride: Why science says you peaked at age 35!
Research & sources referenced in this piece
PRIMARY RESEARCH — PROTEIN REQUIREMENTS
Bagheri, R. et al. (2023). High-protein diet (1.6g/kg/day) vs standard (0.8g/kg/day) combined with resistance training in older men: muscle mass outcomes. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Frontiers in Nutrition (2025). Role of protein intake in maintaining muscle mass composition among elderly females suffering from sarcopenia. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1547325
Paddon-Jones, D. et al. (2015). Dietary protein recommendations and the prevention of sarcopenia. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, 12(1), 86–90.
Traylor, D.A. et al. (2018). Protein requirements and recommendations for older people: a review. Nutrients. PMC4555150.
Clinical Trials (NCT04845282). Effects of Graded Protein Intake on Body Composition in Older Adults. clinicaltrials.gov
LEUCINE THRESHOLD & TIMING
Layman, D.K. (2024). Impacts of protein quantity and distribution on body composition: Frontiers in Nutrition. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1388986
Frontiers in Nutrition (2021). Protein supplementation at breakfast rather than at dinner and lunch is effective in increasing skeletal muscle mass in older adults. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2021.797004
Morgan, P.T. et al. (2021). Protein source and quality for skeletal muscle anabolism in young and older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Nutrition. PMC8245874. DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxab055
Katsanos, C.S. et al. (2006). A high proportion of leucine is required for optimal stimulation of muscle protein synthesis by essential amino acids in the elderly. American Journal of Physiology.
PROTEIN DISTRIBUTION & UNDER-CONSUMPTION
Dietary protein intake, protein sources & distribution patterns in community-dwelling older adults: A harmonized analysis of eight studies. Clinical Nutrition, Volume 47, 2025, pp. 265–274.
US Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025: approximately 30% of males and 50% of females aged 71+ under-consume protein foods. USDA / HHS.
Oppezzo, M. Stanford Lifestyle Medicine (2024). Protein Needs for Adults 50+. lifestylemedicine.stanford.edu
ANABOLIC RESISTANCE
Impact of Protein and Alkali Supplementation on Skeletal Muscle in Older Adults. NCT04048616. Increasing protein intake from 0.8 to 1.5 g/kg/day significantly increased serum IGF-1 levels in healthy older adults.
Reitelseder, S. et al. (2021). Divergent anabolic response to exercise in young and older adult men. Journal of Gerontology Series A, 76, 996–999.
Hi Evelyn. Thank you for the question. It's a loaded one, and I am unable to answer it fully here, but I will try to address it in the context of your question about menopause, despite the overlap with cardiovascular and bone health.
And to be clear, anyone reading this shouldn't alter their dairy fat consumption if they have unrelated chronic health conditions without consulting their doctor first. There are relatively new findings, and I am working on a piece for The Long Ride to highlight it. Stay tuned.
Your question about satiety is on point, but not because of the sugar/lactose in dairy. More recent studies find that, in the context of structured caloric restriction — a formal weight-loss programme with a defined caloric deficit — low-fat dairy provides calcium, protein, and micronutrients in fewer calories, which matters when every calorie is tracked.
Outside active caloric restriction, the evidence no longer supports a strong preference for low-fat over full-fat. Researchers use the term dairy fat paradox' to describe the consistent finding that dairy fat intake is not associated with increased risks of weight gain, cardiovascular disease, or type 2 diabetes, contrary to traditional low-fat dietary recommendations.
Researchers found no meaningful differences in weight gain, body composition, or cholesterol levels between the low-dairy group and the group consuming three daily servings of full-fat dairy. The researchers attribute this to the dairy matrix hypothesis — the idea that a food's physical structure shapes how nutrients are digested and absorbed.
Other considerations:
-Lean postmenopausal women have a higher baseline fracture risk than their overweight peers. peers. Women who maintained or increased muscle mass during early postmenopause lost less bone than those with declining muscle mass. Higher baseline body weight and fat mass were linked to better bone outcomes. For lean women, this protective fat-mass reserve is limited, making dietary interventions more important.
- A 2025 systematic review in Frontiers in Nutrition confirmed that calcium and vitamin D are cornerstones of osteoporosis prevention in postmenopausal women. Evidence-based recommendations specify at least 1,200 mg of calcium and 800 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily. Food-first approaches that emphasize dairy products are unequivocally preferred over high-dose supplements to minimize gastrointestinal intolerance.
The Dairy fat connection? They are absorbed much more effectively when consumed with dietary fat. Non-fat dairy delivers calcium but reduces the absorption of the vitamins needed to direct that calcium to bone rather than soft tissue. Full-fat dairy is nutritionally more complete for this purpose in postmenopausal women, whose bone density is already under pressure from estrogen withdrawal.
There are two studies you can review for more information. Please note that the Laval University study is still ongoing.
- Anderson, G.H. et al. (2026). The Effect of Three Daily Servings of Full-Fat Dairy for 12 Weeks on Body Weight, Body Composition, Energy Metabolism, Blood Lipids, and Dietary Intake of Adults with Overweight and Obesity. The Journal of Nutrition, 156(4), 101373. DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2026.101373. University of Toronto. Published August 2026.
- Laval University Clinical Trial NCT05417347. Full-fat Dairy Products, Body Weight Control and Metabolic Health. Ongoing.
Hey, thank you for the editorial note. It's not easy to pick the correct image for a particular article. The model is lean, highlighting her muscularity and tying into the topic of protein synthesis for older active adults. Which she (the model) represents to me.
To address your question specifically, the formula varies depending on your circumstances, but don't overthink it. Most trainers use a formula based on lean mass, but it's just simpler for most people to use total body weight in the formula:
Healthy older adults: 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg of total body weight per day — the PROT-AGE minimum baseline.
Actively training older adults: 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg of total body weight per day — for muscle preservation and growth.
Acute or chronic disease: 1.2 to 1.5 g/kg of total body weight per day.
Acute illness, injury, or severe malnutrition: Up to 2.0 g/kg of total body weight per day.
Overcoming anabolic resistance requires 30 to 40 grams of high-quality protein per meal — roughly 1.5 to 2 times the young-adult threshold of 20 to 25 grams.
Older adults consuming 'a little protein at each meal' often fail to trigger meaningful muscle protein synthesis. The dose matters more than the frequency.
I hope this fully answers your question. But let me know...