June 12, 2014
Protein is one of the building blocks in a healthy diet, but are you getting enough for your age? According to the scientific journal Cell Metabolism, people under age 65 benefit from a lower-protein, higher-carbohydrate diet. However, for people over age 65, the opposite is true.
Because our muscle mass decreases as we age, dietician Amy Goodson reports that, after 65, a higher protein intake along with exercising regularly helps slow the muscle loss. Additionally, because our bodies’ ability to process protein decreases as we age, we need more of it. A word of caution, however: because protein is processed through the liver and liver function decreases with age, be careful not to go overboard on the protein.
So, for people 65 and over, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) recommends that protein represent 20 to 30 percent of total caloric intake.
Read the full article from Next Avenue to learn more about solving the protein puzzle for people 65 and over.