Short answer
The 2025–2030 US Dietary Guidelines set a goal of 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight a day, up from the old 0.8 RDA. At 150 lb that is about 82 to 109 grams. The range came mostly from weight-loss trials, so treat it as a goal, and check with your doctor first if you have kidney disease.
What changed
For years the Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein was 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight a day. The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released in January 2026, set a goal of 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram for adults.
If you weigh 150 lb (68 kg), that moves you from about 55 grams a day to between 82 and 109 grams.
Why it matters after 40
Muscle is one of the strongest predictors of how well you age, and it gets harder to keep. In 2013 the PROT-AGE study group, a panel of geriatric medicine experts, recommended that adults over 65 eat at least 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg a day, and 1.2 g/kg or more if they exercise, together with strength and endurance training.
The honest catch
The new US range came mostly from trials of weight management in people with overweight or obesity. Six nutrition scientists writing in The Journal of Nutrition in July 2026 argued that this evidence is not enough to justify one higher protein target for every American at every age.
So treat the range as a sensible goal, not a proven prescription. And if you have kidney disease, talk to your doctor before you eat more protein: PROT-AGE names severe kidney disease as the exception.
Decoded / the concept
Grams per kilogram
Your protein need scales with your body, not your plate.
Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get kilograms. Multiply by 1.2 for the low end of the new goal and 1.6 for the high end.
What you can do
- Find your number: weight in lb ÷ 2.2 × 1.2.
- Track three ordinary days and see how far off you are.
- Lift something heavy twice a week so the protein has a job.
- Kidney disease? Ask your doctor first.
Common questions
How much protein do the new US guidelines recommend?
The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans set a goal of 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight a day, up from the long-standing RDA of 0.8.
How much protein is that if I weigh 150 lb?
150 lb is about 68 kg, so the new goal works out to roughly 82 to 109 grams of protein a day.
Signal Score: 3/5
Solid human studies. How we score
Sources
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030 (summary, MedlinePlus, NIH)
- Pasiakos et al., Perspectives on the protein recommendations in the 2025–2030 DGA, The Journal of Nutrition, 2026
- Bauer et al., PROT-AGE Study Group position paper, JAMDA, 2013
- Harvard Health Publishing, How much protein do you need every day? (RDA 0.8 g/kg)
Published 2026-09-30 · Last reviewed 2026-09-30
Educational content, not medical advice. Talk to your clinician before changing anything about your health.
