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Protein Benefits for Healthy Aging and How Much You Need

By Ethan Boldt

February 27, 2025

Three universal truths need to be acknowledged when the topic of protein benefits for healthy, normal aging is discussed. First, most people, including as they get older, don’t eat enough protein per day.

Second, we normally lose muscle as we age, starting as early as age 30 and which can accelerate around age 60, and maintaining some muscle mass is imperative for helping to promote healthy, normal aging.

Third, protein is invaluable for humans as they age, beyond just helping build muscle and strength. Protein aids physical function, bone health, healthy weight management, healthy blood pressure levels, skin health and even healthy immune system function.

These benefits all play a critical role in healthy aging, thus making it paramount that adults continue to consume enough protein as we age. Learn more about these benefits and how much protein you should eat each day in order to reap them.

As always, you should consult your healthcare professional prior to beginning any new dietary or lifestyle regimen.

Benefits of protein for healthy, normal aging

1. Promotes healthy muscle mass and strength

In a major 2016 study about protein consumption and the elderly in the journal Nutrients, it discussed how one of the biggest reasons for living independently into older age is the ability to maintain muscle mass, strength and function.

But the challenge of maintaining muscle mass as one ages isn’t just confined to the elderly. According to the Office on Women’s Health, the body naturally begins to lose 3 to 5 percent of muscle mass per decade. Unless addressed with strength training and more protein, such muscle decline can actually start as early as age 30 and take off after age 60.

Why does maintaining muscle mass matter? It’s not our physical appearance, it’s also related to our strength, or lack thereof. According to a Stanford Center on Longevity article, as one ages, the decline in muscle strength can be 2 to 5 times greater than the decline in muscle mass.

In the Nutrients study, it identifies protein (in particular essential amino acids) as the key nutrient for muscle health in older adults.

Meanwhile, for optimal muscle health, it’s recommended to pair a high-protein diet with regular strength training exercises (such as three times a week).

2. Improves physical function and muscle recovery

Getting enough protein can not just help us maintain strength and mobility, but also promote balance and sure-footedness while improving the ability to do everyday tasks (going up stairs, carrying groceries, standing for an extended period of time, etc.).

Protein benefits physical function in multiple ways beyond spurring normal muscle growth. It also helps with normal muscle repair and recovery, including after exercise. It also helps regulate fluid balance in the body, which is considered important for optimal performance in physical activities.

3. Supports bone health

Protein benefits bone density maintenance and bone health in general, particularly when combined with the right amount of calcium and vitamin D intake and regular weight-bearing exercises.

Despite the false notion that too much protein is unhelpful for bone health, multiple studies show that animal protein (more than plant protein) benefits bone health in multiple ways. When combined with strength training, getting enough protein per day helps one maintain bone mass. This is particularly important for those going through menopause, when bone health becomes very important.

While more studies need to be conducted, a 2022 review of over 1,500 adults aged 68 to 75 demonstrated that increased protein consumption assisted in increasing bone density.

4. Supports healthy weight management through reduced appetite, increased metabolism and more fat burning

If you’re interested in losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight, protein should be one of your best friends. Why? It helps reduce your appetite, boosts your metabolism and even helps burn body fat. Of course, this is in conjunction with an overall healthy diet and lifestyle, including regular exercise.

High-protein foods can help you manage your appetite and reduce your hunger levels and even cravings. This can result in you consuming fewer calories per day than if you ate a higher percentage of carbohydrates and fat.

Protein also helps with your so-called “hunger hormones,” which include ghrelin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and cholecystokinin. Accidental mismanagement of the hunger hormones is a common reason for not losing weight.

When your stomach is empty, ghrelin gets released and increases your appetite. But when you eat protein, your ghrelin levels go down and help you feel full.

A 2020 systematic review published in Physiology & Behavior also revealed that protein increases both your body’s own GLP-1 and cholecystokinin, which are hormones that signal fullness and assist digestive function.

Eating more protein daily can also raise your basal metabolic rate (BMR), according to a 2018 systematic review. Your BMR is how many calories you need at rest each day. Protein also spurs an increased sleep metabolic rate, or the number of calories you burn while sleeping.

Protein is also a fat-burning food which contains compounds that stimulate thermogenesis, the process by which the body generates heat and burns calories. High-protein foods exhibit a high thermic effect, as these foods take more calories to digest and absorb.

Compared to the other two macronutrients (carbohydrates and fat), protein shows the highest thermic effect of food (TEF).

Want to lose weight? Swap out some high-carb or fatty snacks with high-protein options like Greek yogurt, protein powder, no-sugar beef jerky, canned sardines, nuts and seeds, and boiled eggs. Also, make sure you consume an overall healthy, reduced-calorie diet, get regular exercise and practice other healthy lifestyle regimens.

5. Supports healthy levels of blood pressure

Healthy blood pressure levels are very important for heart health. Studies indicate that the protein powder whey protein (as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle, including regular exercise) helps to promote healthy, normal blood pressure and lipid profile levels.

A 2016 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition evaluated the blood pressure of 42 participants who consumed whey protein powder or maltodextrin (the control) for eight weeks. Those who used whey experienced blood pressure and blood circulation benefits. Whey protein also supported healthy cholesterol levels.

A 2023 Nutrients study involving older adults discovered that higher protein intake contributed to healthy blood pressure levels.

6. Promotes healthy immune system function

Protein is critical for producing normal antibodies, which are key for a healthy immune system. Protein helps build and repair immune system cells as well as helps your body recover from stress, such as hard exercise.

For example, whey protein promotes the synthesis of glutathione and works to promote a healthy immune system. Glutathione also boosts the efficacy of other antioxidants, like vitamin C, CoQ10 and vitamin E. Whey also contains L-arginine and L-lysine, two amino acids that promote healthy immune system function.

According to research published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, whey protein helps the body recover after exercise, which is important for immune system health, promoting a healthy response to oxidative stress.

Protein intake for supporting healthy, normal aging

Your body doesn't store protein (unlike carbohydrates and fat). Specifically, when you consume protein, it gets broken down into amino acids. These amino acids are used by the body to build and rebuild our tissues, including our muscles and skin (and bone). Excess amino acids don’t get stored but instead are converted to energy or excreted as a waste product.

This is why it’s essential to have protein regularly throughout the day to make sure the body gets a constant supply of amino acids for all of its tasks. So rather than eating a big protein meal, make sure each meal and snack includes some protein.

So how much protein? Because of the normal decline in muscle mass, older adults typically require more protein than younger individuals.

The 2016 Nutrients study said that experts in healthy aging and protein recommended a protein intake of 1.2 to 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. The RDA of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day is substantially lower. They estimate that around 40 percent of adult women and men fall below the RDA, let alone the higher recommended amount.

Percentage-wise, protein should make up 20 to 30 percent of your diet. However, for women and men over the age of 70, protein intake often goes considerably down, as does muscle mass.

Suggested high-protein foods to add to your grocery cart includes eggs, grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, wild-caught salmon and sardines, Greek yogurt and kefir, and plant-based proteins like tempeh and legumes.

Of course, an easy way to up your daily protein intake is to use protein powder, such as at breakfast time with a protein smoothie. Ancient Nutrition, for example, offers collagen protein, bone broth protein, whey protein and plant protein.

Whey protein works well for lean muscle development, amino acid delivery, satiety and more. When purchasing whey protein, it’s recommended to choose a whey concentrate that comes from grass-fed cows and is made without hormones, pesticides, artificial ingredients and gluten.

Ancient Nutrition’s Whey Protein combines high-quality whey protein with added organic regenerative A2/A2 milk protein and clinically studied eggshell membrane collagen into one supplement. Each scoop delivers 23 grams of protein, and it’s available in vanilla bean, milk chocolate and chocolate peanut butter flavors.

There's also Ancient Nutrition’s Whey Protein + Fat Loss†* Blend, a vanilla cinnamon flavored protein powder.

Looking for a supplement for a lean muscle boost*? From 10 food-based sources and featuring 10 types of collagen, Multi Collagen Advanced Muscle Capsules use select ingredients to boost lean body mass. This supplement features a proprietary muscle building blend that includes East Indian globe thistle and mango bark extract.

*In addition to a healthy diet and lifestyle, including regular muscle-building exercise.

Add exercise for promoting healthy, normal aging

Lastly, don’t forget to add strength training to your weekly list along with having more protein each day. Research indicates that a program of progressive resistance training can begin to make a difference in as little as two weeks. We’re talking more strength, muscle mass and muscle mitochondrial enzyme activity.

Think you or a loved one are too old to lift? A study of 85-year-old weightlifters showed they were capable of the same level of power and muscle mass as 65-year-olds who didn’t participate in regular training.

Around three days of resistance training per week is recommended to resist normal, age-related muscle loss or build muscle, in addition to regular aerobic exercise.

For your aerobic exercise, consider movements that support bone health and can build lower body strength, like walking hills (including on treadmill) or cycling (including indoors).