Protein is such an important nutrient, but our intake of protein becomes increasingly important as we age because our bodies become less efficient at using it to maintain our muscle.
Protein is probably one of the most important nutrients at every stage in our lives. We often hear about protein in relation to building muscle or how important it is for athletes, but protein becomes particularly important as we move through our 40s, 50s and beyond.
And for women, this becomes especially relevant around perimenopause and menopause.
We naturally begin to lose muscle as we age.
Age-related decline in muscle mass and strength, along with a higher fat mass, leads to sarcopenia. This doesn’t suddenly happen when we turn 50, it is a gradual process, and our lifestyle can influence how quickly it progresses.
For women, the hormonal changes of perimenopause and menopause can add another layer to this picture.
As estrogen declines, maintaining muscle and bone becomes increasingly important. Adequate protein, combined with resistance exercise, is one of the nutritional and lifestyle strategies that can help support musculoskeletal health.
The standard adult protein recommendation is around 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day.
Some experts recommend that healthy older adults consume around 1.0–1.2 g/kg/day, particularly to support muscle mass and physical function.
For example, someone weighing 70 kg would need approximately:
- 56 g/day at 0.8 g/kg
- 70–84 g/day at 1.0–1.2 g/kg
What’s important to remember is that this is not a lot. A 100g piece of meat provides 20-30g of protein so if we are eating enormous amounts of meat or drinking protein shakes all day, we could easily exceed our protein requirements for the day.
How we distribute our protein throughout the day is key.
Rather than having very little protein at breakfast, a small amount at lunch and then a large protein-rich dinner, it can be helpful to include a meaningful source of protein with each meal.
Eating a 100g portion of meat, chicken, fish or other high-quality protein with each meal can provide the required amount of protein, especially for postmenopausal women and older people.
This could look like:
Breakfast could include. Eggs, Greek yoghurt or cottage cheese, a protein-rich smoothie, tofu or another soy-based protein
Lunch could include chicken or fish, eggs, lentils, beans or chickpeas, tofu or tempeh
And dinner could include fish, lean meat or poultry, eggs, legumes, or a combination of plant proteins
The important thing is quality, variety and consistency.
It is really important to remember that protein doesn’t work alone to support muscle mass.
If we want to maintain muscle as we age, we shouldn’t think about protein in isolation.
Protein provides the building blocks, but resistance exercise provides the stimulus.
When we challenge our muscle through activities such as strength training, our bodies receive the message that this muscle is needed and should be maintained.
Regular physical activity, particularly resistance exercise is important when it comes to supporting our muscle strength and function.
Muscle is metabolically active tissue.
When we have a healthy muscle mass, we are more likely to maintain our strength, mobility, balance and independence as we get older. It also becomes increasingly important for protecting against frailty and loss of physical function.
Many of us become very focused on the number on the bathroom scale as we move through midlife, but a more important question would be to ask how much muscle we are maintaining.
Healthy ageing isn’t simply about weighing less, it’s about being strong, mobile, resilient and metabolically healthy.
Listen to my interview with Anton Brink from Radio Cape Pulpit on 08 October 2026 to learn more. Listen to my next interview on Thursday at 7.45am.