Everyone is talking about increasing protein, from dieticians to athletes to social media influencers. Now, the United States (US) government is weighing in. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is released every five years by the US Department of Health and Human Services to provide advice on what to eat. In January 2026, a new guideline was released and caused a major stir. The new food pyramid was inverted, with protein on top and animal sources of protein (for example, red meat) placed above plant proteins. In addition, the amount of protein to be eaten each day was doubled compared to prior guidelines. This prompted many questions. Should dietary protein be increased? Are high protein diets good or bad for overall health? What are sources of good protein? What is dietary protein anyway?
Protein is an essential nutrient made of amino acids. The body needs protein to grow, repair cells, and build muscles, bones, skin and hair. Protein is important for metabolism and to make enzymes, hormones and antibodies. The body uses 20 different amino acids. Nine amino acids are deemed essential because the body can’t make them; they are obtained only in the diet. The other 11 non-essential amino acids are ones the body can synthesize. A food item is considered a complete protein if it contains all nine essential amino acids (for example, pistachio nuts). It is important to understand that there is no way to store protein in the body (unlike carbohydrates and fat). It is also essential to realize that proteins are not peptides (which have been in the news recently). A peptide is a compound of two or more amino acids linked by a chemical bond (a peptide).
Prior to January 2026, the Dietary Guidelines recommended 0.8 grams per kilogram per day (g/kg/d) of protein intake. The new guidelines ask us to aim for 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg/d. What kind of numbers are we talking about? A 150-pound man weighs 68 kg (150 divided by 2.2). The old recommendation had our man ingesting 54 grams per day of protein (0.8 x 68). The new guidelines have him increase that to 82 grams (1.2 g/kg/d) to 108 grams per day (1.6 g/kg/d). Are there harms in ingesting that much protein? The popular theory is that by increasing protein intake, you could lose weight and gain muscle. To do that, you need to exercise, specifically doing resistance exercises. If not, then the extra calories that usually accompany extra protein will be turned into fat, increasing the risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes. People with chronic kidney disease shouldn’t increase protein in their diet. Metabolizing the extra protein could worsen kidney disease and lead to dialysis. Increased protein is also associated with an increased risk for colon cancer. Multiple studies have shown no benefit for ingesting more than 1.6 g/kg/d. The beneficial effects plateau around this level. There is no increase in muscle strength or mass and no weight loss above that number. For perspective, less than 25% of the population ingest above 1.5 g/kg/d of protein.
Is a high protein diet associated with heart disease? The excess calories consumed with more protein increases the risk for weight gain, diabetes and subsequent heart disease. Red and processed meats have high levels of saturated fats. Increasing their intake will increase low density lipoprotein (LDL) and increase inflammation. This increases the risk for heart artery disease. Studies have shown an association of high protein diets with increased risk for heart failure, all cause death and a shortened lifespan. Excess protein intake can accelerate blockages in the heart arteries, especially at levels above 1.5 g/kg/d. On the other hand, these studies mostly were of people who had high consumption of animal protein, especially red and processed meats. Other sources of protein such as chicken, seafood, low-fat dairy and soy have not been associated with increased cardiac risk.
Here are some important protein points:
-It seems that protein intake follows the old adage that if something in moderate amounts is good for you, more of something isn’t necessarily better and can be harmful.
-Eating protein doesn’t build muscle. Protein plus exercise, especially resistance exercise, builds muscle
-Remember that protein is not stored in the body. Eating more than you need only results in the excess being eliminated.
What is the best recommendation for protein? It seems prudent to follow the journalist Michael Pollan’s famous advice: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants”. “Eat food” means ingesting whole foods, not processed or packaged foods. “Not too much” means moderation. For protein, that means eating between 0.8 and 1.6 g/kg/d. Protein intake closer to the higher level can be recommended for older people (over age 65) to prevent age-related muscle loss (along with resistance exercise). “Mostly plants” emphasizes plant-based proteins over animal-based proteins (especially red and processed meats). Two good types of protein are nuts and Greek yogurt. Nuts are an excellent source of plant-based protein (see table below) with known cardioprotective characteristics. Following a Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts) reduces the risk for heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death by 28%. Similarly, Greek yogurt has plenty of protein and has been shown to help with blood pressure reduction, lowering LDL and reducing cardiac risk.
Item | Serving | Protein (grams) | Calories |
Plain, regular, nonfat yogurt | 6 ounces | 7 | 85 |
Plain, Greek, nonfat yogurt | 6 ounces | 18 | 189 |
Frozen Greek yogurt bar | 2.2 ounces | 4 | 80 |
Walnuts | ¼ cup | 4.5 | |
Pine nuts | ¼ cup | 4.5 | |
Cashews | ¼ cup | 5 | |
Pistachios | ¼ cup | 6 | |
Almonds | ¼ cup | 7 | |
Hazelnuts | ¼ cup | 5 |
