Protein After 40: Why It’s More Important Than Ever

But protein is important for every woman, and it becomes particularly valuable as we move through our 40s, perimenopause, menopause and beyond.

Protein provides the building blocks our body uses tomaintain and repair muscle, bone, skin and other tissues. Combined withresistance training, eating enough protein can help us preserve something thatbecomes increasingly important with age: muscle.

What happens to muscle as we age?

From midlife onwards, we gradually become more vulnerable tolosing muscle mass and strength. Menopause may add another layer throughchanges in hormones, body composition and physical activity.

Why does this matter?

Muscle isn't just about how strong you look.

Maintaining muscle helps us:

• remain strong and independent
• support our joints
• protect our bones
• maintain balance
• perform everyday tasks
• support metabolic health
• continue exercising and doing the activities we enjoy.

Research in postmenopausal women shows thatexercise—particularly resistance training—is effective for improving strengthand helping preserve or increase muscle mass (Sá et al., 2023; Khalafi et al.,2023).

But training is only one part of the equation.

Your muscles also need the raw materials to rebuild.

So, how much protein do women actually need?

This is where things can become confusing.

The Australian Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) for proteinfor women aged 19–70 is currently 0.75 grams per kilogram of body weight perday, or approximately 46 grams per day for the reference woman (NHMRC,2021).

Importantly, the RDI is designed to meet the nutritionalneeds of almost all healthy people. It is not necessarily the optimal amountfor maximising muscle growth or supporting someone undertaking regularresistance training.

Research in active and older adults suggests that higherintakes may be useful in some circumstances, particularly when the goal is topreserve or build muscle alongside strength training.

For many active women, an intake somewhere around 1.2–1.6g/kg/day may therefore be considered depending on age, training load, totalenergy intake and individual health needs (Deutz et al., 2016; Morton et al.,2018).

For a 70 kg woman, for example, 1.2 g/kg would equal around 84grams of protein per day.

That doesn't mean every woman needs to start counting grams.It simply highlights that a piece of toast for breakfast, salad for lunchand a small amount of protein at dinner may not provide much protein across theday.

Don't save it all for dinner

Another useful strategy is to spread protein across yourmeals.

Rather than eating very little protein during the day and alarge amount at dinner, aim to include a meaningful protein source atbreakfast, lunch and dinner.

For many women, this might mean roughly 25–35 grams ateach main meal, adjusted for body size, appetite and individualrequirements.

For example:

Breakfast: Greek yoghurt with nuts and seeds, eggs ontoast, or a high-protein smoothie.

Lunch: Chicken, tuna, salmon, tofu, legumes orcottage cheese added to a salad or wrap.

Dinner: Fish, lean meat, chicken, tofu, tempeh orlegumes alongside vegetables and whole grains.

Snacks such as yoghurt, milk, cheese, boiled eggs or nutscan also contribute.

Do I need protein powder?

No.

It is completely possible to meet your protein needs throughfood.

Protein powder is simply a convenient food option.For women who struggle to eat enough protein, have limited appetite or needsomething quick after training, it can be useful.

Research examining whey protein in postmenopausal womensuggests supplementation may provide some additional benefit when it iscombined with resistance training, but simply adding protein powder withoutproviding the muscle with a training stimulus is unlikely to transform musclestrength or mass (Lee et al., 2022).

In other words:

Protein and strength training work best as a team.

What about plant-based protein?

Absolutely.

Protein doesn't have to come from meat.

Excellent options include:

• tofu and tempeh
• lentils and chickpeas
• beans
• soy products
• nuts and seeds
• high-protein  whole grains.

Plant-based diets may simply require a little more planningand variety to provide enough total protein and essential amino acids.

More isn't always better

Protein is important, but it isn't a case of "the more,the better."

Your overall diet still matters. Women also need adequatevegetables, fruit, fibre, healthy fats, carbohydrates, calcium and othermicronutrients.

Women with kidney disease or other medical conditions mayalso require individualised advice before substantially increasing proteinintake.

The powerful combination: lift + protein

If your goal is to stay strong as you age, think ofresistance training as the signal telling your body to build andmaintain muscle.

Protein provides the building materials.

Research consistently shows that resistance exercise is amajor driver of improvements in strength and muscle in postmenopausal women,with nutrition supporting that adaptation (Sá et al., 2023; Lee et al., 2022).

You don't need a perfect diet.

You don't need to live on protein shakes.

And you certainly don't need to become a bodybuilder.

Start by asking one simple question at each meal:

“Where is my protein?”

Then pair good nutrition with regular progressive strengthtraining.

That combination can help keep you strong, capable andindependent for decades to come.

References

Deutz, N. E. P., Bauer, J. M., Barazzoni, R., et al. (2016).Protein intake and exercise for optimal muscle function with aging:Recommendations from the ESPEN Expert Group. Clinical Nutrition, 33(6),929–936.

Khalafi, M., Habibi Maleki, A., Sakhaei, M. H., et al.(2023). The effects of exercise training on body composition in postmenopausalwomen: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 14,1183765.

Lee, S. Y., et al. (2022). Effect of whey proteinsupplementation in postmenopausal women: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Nutrients, 14(20), 4210.

Morton, R. W., Murphy, K. T., McKellar, S. R., et al.(2018). A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect ofprotein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass andstrength in healthy adults. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52(6),376–384.

National Health and Medical Research Council. (2021). NutrientReference Values for Australia and New Zealand: Protein. AustralianGovernment.

Sá, K. M. M., da Silva, G. R., Martins, U. K., et al.(2023). Resistance training for postmenopausal women: Systematic review andmeta-analysis. Menopause, 30(1), 108–116.

Wang, Z., et al. (2023). Effects of timing and types ofprotein supplementation on improving muscle mass, strength, and physicalperformance in adults undergoing resistance training: A network meta-analysis. Nutrients.

World Health Organization. (2020). WHO Guidelines onPhysical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour.

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