Protein Intake

Research summary

• Multiple systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and expert position papers (including PROT-AGE and ESPEN guidelines) consistently support higher dietary protein intake for preserving muscle mass and function in older adults, particularly to counteract sarcopenia and protect lean mass during weight loss.
• The evidence draws mainly on observational associations and mechanistic/expert consensus reasoning rather than large long-term randomized trials directly testing protein intake against hard clinical outcomes, and several sources are narrative reviews rather than original controlled research.
• The overall direction of evidence is consistent and biologically well-grounded, but confidence would be strengthened by more long-term randomized outcome trials rather than expert synthesis and shorter observational studies.