There’s a big difference between everyday protein recommendations and those needed for recovery.
General Population
• The standard Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for most healthy adults is 0.8 g per kilogram of body weight per day. This amount maintains basic health but does not support optimal recovery or muscle building.
Active Individuals & Athletes Research consistently shows that people who train regularly — especially with resistance or endurance exercise, benefit from higher protein intakes because exercise increases the body’s protein requirements.
• Typical training requirements: 1.4–2.0 g/kg/day of protein.
• Some studies suggest 1.8 g/kg/day is optimal for maximizing physiological recovery and adaptation after exercise.
Injury & Rehabilitation During periods of injury, when physical activity decreases and muscle breakdown may exceed synthesis, experts recommend 1.6–2.5 g/kg/day of protein to protect muscle mass and support healing. This elevated intake helps maintain a positive nitrogen balance, a biochemical marker that indicates the body is in a repair and growth state, not a breakdown state.
Research shows that when protein intake is matched to body weight, males and females have similar needs for supporting muscle recovery after exercise. In one study, endurance athletes of both sexes reached maximal protein synthesis at around 1.6–1.9 g/kg/day. However, some physiological factors like hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle, may modulate how females metabolize protein, although evidence in this specific area remains limited.
