Human study · Supplements / medicine · 22 Jun 2026
Review argues protein and activity guidelines aimed at deficiency may undershoot healthspan
Source: ScienceDaily
What the research found
Commentary (narrative review). Chris Macdonald (Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge) writes in Frontiers in Nutrition that many public protein and activity targets were built to prevent deficiency in sedentary adults, not to maximise strength, independence, and healthspan. The paper points to evidence that active people, older adults, and pregnant women may benefit from intakes above the classic 0.8 g/kg RDA, with muscle and strength gains in trained adults often discussed near ~1.6 g/kg/day. This is a viewpoint review, not a feeding trial. Educational nutrition notes; not a prescription to “protein-max.” Peter Attia’s 17 September 2026 public roundtable on protein and training cites the same 1.6 g/kg plateau literature — farmed here from the Cambridge/Frontiers paper, not from the paywalled show.
Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.
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