Research
Mixed
Severely protein-deficient diets (2–3% energy) induce lean body mass loss and metabolic imbalance, whereas adequate protein intake (0.66 g/kg/d minimum) is a prerequisite for maintaining muscle, bone, and physiological function.
Ensure you eat enough protein every day to maintain your muscle and bone. The minimum is around 0.66 g/kg, but if you are older or active, you likely need more. Severe deficiency leads to muscle loss, so don't undereat protein.
StrongSupportsVERY_HIGH confidence
A severely protein deficient diet induces lean body mass losses, and ingestion of sufficient dietary energy and protein is a prerequisite for body protein synthesis and maintenance of muscle, bone and other lean tissues and functions.
Why this rating
The paper cites extensive evidence across human and animal studies regarding nitrogen balance and lean mass preservation.
Source
Protein metabolism and related body function: mechanistic approaches and health consequences
Daniel Tomé et al. · Proceedings of The Nutrition Society · 2020
DOI 10.1017/s0029665120007880
narrative_reviewCited 30×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Ingestion of 20–30 g of leucine-rich protein stimulates skeletal muscle protein synthesis and activates the mTORC1 pathway within 2 hours, an effect potentiated by prior resistance exercise.Good
- High-protein diets (above 25-30% energy) promote satiety and reduce fat mass without affecting lean mass, primarily through hormonal signaling (low ghrelin, high leptin) and reduced reward sensitivity.Good
Related findings · Mixed
- Bariatric surgery (VSG and RYGB) is the most effective and sustainable treatment for obesity, producing marked and sustained weight loss that non-surgical interventions cannot match.Strong
- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
- Supervised exercise training (SET) is the first-line treatment for chronic symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication, significantly improving walking distance and functional status.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →