Is a high-protein diet the best diet you could follow? If so, what are the health benefits? Are there any risks?



Read on, and you'll understand why I believe a high-protein diet is the best diet for health, fitness, and even supporting quality-of-life later in life.





What is a High-Protein Diet?



Researchers categorize diets as "high-protein" based on the percentage of calories coming from protein or the measured amount of protein you eat compared with your body weight.



Percentage-Based Calculation: According to The Institute of Medicine, a high-protein diet consists of more than 30-35% of its total calories as protein. If you eat 2000 calories per day and consume more than 600-700 calories from protein, you'd eat a "high-protein diet."



Weight-Based Calculation: The Institute of Medicine also set the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for protein at 0.8 grams per kilogram of bodyweight. That's 0.36 grams per pound bodyweight. Using this method, if you weigh 200 pounds and eat more than 72 grams of protein per day, according to the IOM, you'd eat a "high-protein diet."



The weight-based calculation generates a better recommendation. For example, a 200-pound athlete that trains five hours per day requires far more calories than a 200-pound couch potato. Yet, most of the additional calories should come from fat or carbohydrates to fuel exercise.



That said, 0.8 grams per kilogram is the Recommended Daily Intake, which is an "adequate amount for most people to avoid deficiency." It is not an optimal amount.



In the United States, the average adult male eats 98 grams of protein per day, and the average female eats 68 grams. That's pretty close to the Recommended Daily Intake.



Yet, the RDI is well-below optimal.



From my experience, experimentation, and based on an increasing amount of evidence, the optimal protein intake is about one gram per pound ideal body weight.



I always include the phrase "ideal body weight," because if you weigh 250 pounds today, but should be closer to 150 pounds, 150 grams of protein would be optimal. It's not that 250 grams would be detrimental; it's unnecessary to eat the extra 100 grams.




The ‘lay’ recommendation to consume 1 g protein/lb of body weight (2.2 g/kg/day) while resistance training has pervaded for years. Nutrition professionals often deem this lay recommendation excessive and not supported by research. However, as this review shows, this ‘lay’ recommendation aligns well with research that assesses applied outcome measures of strength and body composition in studies of duration > 4 weeks.
Bosse JD, Dixon BM, 2012



What are the health benefits of a high-protein diet?



High-protein diets don't just help you look better. They also impact your overall health. The following are some of the most significant ways high-protein diets enhance your wellbeing.



Supports fat and weight loss



In one type of study, researchers create a specific dietary protocol, where protein makes up 30-35% of calorie intake in one group, and less in another. They equalize total calories between the groups, relative to each individual’s metabolic rate. In such studies, the higher-protein group experiences more of an improvement in body composition.



In another study design, participants follow an ad libitum diet. They must eat a set level of protein, but get no other dietary recommendations. In this type of study, higher-protein intake favors better body composition as well.



When I work with online personal training clients on their nutrition, my first recommendation is to increase protein intake. I don't care what other carbs and fat they eat, as long as they eat more protein. They almost always eat fewer carbs and less fat without thinking about it, and get leaner without feeling like they're on "diets."



High-protein diets:



Increase satiety: Protein stimulates the release of cholecystokinin, PYY, and GLP-1, which reduce feelings of hunger, as well as increase satiety,