New U.S. dietary guidelines raise protein recommendation to 1.2-1.6 g/kg
The new federal protein debate centers on older adults, where 1.2-1.6 g/kg/day now sits well above the old 0.8 g/kg floor.
The final Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 were released on January 7, 2026. Gabrielle Lyon puts the shift at 1.2-1.6 g protein per kilogram of body weight, above the old federal floor and the intake many aging specialists have been arguing for.
The first people who need to rethink intake are adults 65 and older, especially anyone worried about muscle loss, strength, or eating too little overall. At 0.8 g/kg/day, a 70-kilogram person lands at 56 grams of protein a day. At 1.0-1.2 g/kg/day, that same person needs 70 to 84 grams; at 1.2-1.6 g/kg/day, the target rises to 84 to 112 grams. In 2026, the National Council on Aging put the goal for older adults at about 1.0-1.2 g/kg/day, while a 2025 review in Nutrients by Jürgen Bauer, Kristina S. Fluitman and Richard G. Ijzerman said healthy aging populations generally need at least that much, with 1.2-1.5 g/kg/day suggested for chronic or acute conditions.
A 2013 review in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association concluded that older adults need more protein than younger adults, and that people with acute or chronic disease may need 1.2-1.5 g/kg body weight a day. Another review found that among medically stable older adults, intakes below the 0.8 g/kg/day RDA worsened age-related losses in muscle size, quality and function. Severe kidney disease remains the major exception, where protein intake is a separate medical decision.
The 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee submitted its Scientific Report to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with public comment running from December 11, 2024, to February 10, 2025. USDA considered health equity, socioeconomic position, race, ethnicity and culture to the greatest extent possible.
A 90-gram day can be split into roughly 30 grams at breakfast, lunch and dinner, whether that comes from eggs and Greek yogurt in the morning, chicken, tofu or beans at midday, and fish or cottage cheese at night.
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