Proteins are one of the most remarkable groups of molecules in the human body, pretty much everything is made of them. Protein is an essential component of every cell in the body. Hair and nails are mostly made of protein. Your body uses them to build and repair tissues. Your body also uses protein to create hormones, enzymes, and other body chemicals. Protein is an essential part of muscles, bones, cartilage, skin, and blood.
Proteins are made of amino acids, they might be referred as “building blocks” and they’re joining into chains. Some proteins are made just of few amino acids, some build up of many in a very complex way. There are 20 different existing amino acids. All of them contain oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen, another can contain sulfur too. Protein is must for a healthy life, but too much or too little of it might cause health deterioration. Below we’ve outlined how much protein is safe/enough to be consumed every day.
The minimum amount of protein you need to consume every day to be healthy is 0.8 grams per kilogram according to the Recommend Dietary Allowance (RDA), or 0.36 gram per pound of your body weight. To know your protein RDA you need to multiply your weight in kilograms by 0.8 or by 0.36 (for the weight in pounds). For a healthy 80 kg man (~175 lb) is therefore recommended 64 g of proteins per day, for 60 kg (133 lb) woman 48 g of proteins per day. Of course, if you’re very active you’ll need almost double that amount, aim to consume an optimal amount of protein which will help you maintain muscle. Older people also need more proteins than adults. People who are recovering from injuries may also need more protein.
For very active people
Consider eating 1.2 to 2 grams of dietary protein per kilogram (or about 0.5 to 0.9 grams per pound) of body mass each day. That amount is best for maintaining and rebuilding your muscles, especially if you do a lot of high-intensity workouts.
For Children
Protein dietary recommendations may differ based on your child’s age. Healthy toddlers between 1 and 3 years need 1.2 grams per kilogram (0.55 grams per pound) of body weight. For a toddler weighing 12 kg, this means 14.5 grams of protein per day. As a child increases in age, protein needs decrease. Children between 4 and 6 years need 1.1 grams per kg (0.5 grams per pound) of body weight of proteins, so a 30 kg kid needs 33 grams of protein. Children between 7 and 14 require 1 gram per kg (0.45 grams per pound) of protein per body weight. For a 12-year-old weighing 45 kg, this means to 45 grams of protein daily.
For middle-aged and the elderly
Older adults also require more protein, up to 50% higher than the RDA, or about 1-1.3 grams (0.45 to 0.6 grams per pound) of body mass. This can help prevent osteoporosis and sarcopenia (reduction in muscle mass), both significant problems in the elderly.