Why is it important for older adults to consume protein?

Questions

Hi, my name is Libby and I’m a student and dietetic intern at the University of Idaho. Today I’m talking about the importance of protein as we age. As many of you may not know, our muscles begin to decline around the age of 30, so you can only imagine that by age 50, that rate of muscle decline is increasing every single year. But it’s not to worry, we can compensate for this muscle loss by increasing our consumption of protein every day.

The recommendation for the older adult is 20-30 grams of protein at each meal and about 12-15 grams of protein at each snack. So, you might be wondering, what is protein? Why do I care? Well, it’s the building blocks of our muscles, and with that, it helps to maintain our skeletal structure and integrity to prevent injury. In case of injury, it helps to have a muscle store and a protein source that helps us on our way to recovery. There are many foods that contain protein, but dairy is special in a couple of ways: the first is that it’s an easy source of protein. Just one six ounce serving of Greek yogurt contains 11 grams of protein, which if you remember, is the amount that we need in one snack or about half of what we need in one meal. Additionally, dairy contains minerals that help to keep our bones strong.