Research
Macro partitioning
Consuming 1.3–1.6 g protein per kg body weight per day, combined with exercise, is safe for healthy adults and supports fat loss and muscle preservation during weight reduction.
If you are trying to lose fat, do not just cut calories. Eat 1.3–1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight daily and exercise. This combination helps you lose fat while keeping your muscle, which is better for your long-term health than losing muscle along with fat.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Long-term consumption of protein at 2 g per kg BW per day is safe for healthy adults, and the tolerable upper limit is 3.5 g per kg BW per day for well-adapted subjects. ... a combination of physical activity and increased intake of high-quality protein provides an effective strategy to enhance fat loss and improve metabolic profiles in obese subjects.
Why this rating
Based on controlled studies (Layman, Josse) cited in the review, showing clear benefits in body composition.
Source
Dietary protein intake and human health
Guoyao Wu · Food & Function · 2016
DOI 10.1039/c5fo01530h
narrative_reviewCited 699×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Healthy adults with minimal physical activity require a minimum of 0.8 g protein per kg body weight per day to maintain nitrogen balance, but functional needs such as muscle preservation and strength require 1.0–1.6 g/kg/day depending on activity level.Good
- Timing protein intake immediately after exercise (within 30-60 minutes) maximizes muscle protein synthesis compared to delaying intake by 3 hours.Moderate
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
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