Research
Energy balance
During moderate energy deficit (weight loss), higher protein intakes (approx. 1.6 g/kg/day) preserve muscle mass better than lower protein intakes, although this benefit diminishes in severe energy deficit.
If you are cutting calories to lose fat, make sure you eat about 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. This helps protect your muscle from being broken down for energy. However, if your calorie deficit is extremely severe (more than 40% of your needs), this protection may not be enough, so keep your deficit moderate.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
With moderate energy deficit, however, protein intakes on the order of double the current RDA (i.e., 1.6 g/kg/d) have proved efficacious in preserving muscle mass during weight loss [6].
Why this rating
Based on cited studies [6, 26].
Source
Dietary Protein and Muscle Mass: Translating Science to Application and Health Benefit
John W. Carbone et al. · Nutrients · 2019
DOI 10.3390/nu11051136
narrative_reviewCited 188×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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