Protein is on everyone’s mind, and for older adults, it should be.
Nutrition experts say that’s worth a reminder after researchers recently suggested there’s evidence that “dietary protein restriction promotes metabolic health, healthspan, and lifespan.”
In a review paper published in Cell Press Blue, the authors described several biological mechanisms through which a protein-restricted diet can improve longevity. According to experts, their arguments are less than convincing. Nutrition professionals warned that following their advice could put older adults, people with a sedentary lifestyle, and those on GLP-1 weight loss medications at serious health risk.
Stuart Phillips, a professor of kinesiology and skeletal muscle health expert at McMaster University, described the study as “a beautiful mouse story, sold as human advice” in a social media post. “In people over 65, and especially in the very old, low protein is linked to worse outcomes, not better ones,” he said, adding, “More frailty. More falls. Higher mortality.”
In the study that Phillips was critiquing, the authors — from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s department of medicine — drew on the findings from 350 previously published research papers to offer “a comprehensive overview of current knowledge regarding the benefits of [protein restriction] and amino acid restriction for healthy aging, and highlights the therapeutic potential of interventions based on these diets to promote healthspan and longevity.”
