Protein requirements are crucial for endurance athletes and must be maintained, or even increased, with age to preserve health and athletic longevity, contrary to traditional recommendations that might suggest reducing them.

noli's read

Scientific literature widely supports the idea that protein requirements increase with age due to anabolic resistance, a phenomenon where the body becomes less efficient at building muscle (meta-analysis, Journal of the American Medical Directors Association). For endurance athletes, a protein intake higher than standard recommendations (often between 1.2 and 1.6 g/kg/day) is essential to support recovery and limit exercise-induced muscle breakdown, as emphasized by the consensus of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (position stand, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition). The claim that requirements evolve with age is therefore scientifically sound. However, the term 'non-negotiable' is classic marketing emphasis in the wellness field to highlight the importance of a nutrient, although the precise quantity remains contextual. There is no evidence that reducing protein at age 60 is a current standard medical recommendation; on the contrary, health authorities are pushing toward higher consumption to prevent sarcopenia.

the sources

1. 1Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, et al. 2018
2. 2Leidy HJ, Clifton PM, Astrup A, et al. 2015
3. 3Wu Y, Wang W, Liu T, Zhang D 2017
4. 4Li R, Xia J, Zhang X, et al. 2018