Protein is everywhere lately. Whether it’s a fitness pro telling you to beef up your protein intake, a women’s health expert warning you about the dangers of muscle loss in perimenopause, or a perimenopausal influencer making a comedy reel about all the overwhelming recommendations for better health in middle age (more protein included), it feels as though protein is having a moment.
Because menopause is becoming big business—and perimenopause along with it—those voices encouraging us to consume more protein as we go through the menopause transition are louder than ever.
Before we get into whether women in perimenopause or post-menopause need additional protein, let’s get a better understanding of what protein does for the human body in general.
What Protein Actually Does in the Body
Protein is a naturally occurring substance in the human body, composed of chemical building blocks known as amino acids.
Our bodies make some of those amino acids, but there are nine that we can’t make on our own. Those are the ones we must get from the protein we eat.
Protein in food is found in both animal products and plants. Some plant foods—like soy products, quinoa, and certain leafy greens—contain all nine essential amino acids, just like meat does. Others contain most, but not all.
Contrary to popular belief, this doesn’t mean you can’t get enough protein from plants. It simply means your diet should be varied to ensure you’re getting all the essential amino acids your body doesn’t produce.
Eating protein-rich foods is important because protein helps your entire body function. Yes, it’s good for building muscle—but it’s also essential for building and repairing nearly all of your cells and tissues. According to the FDA, proteins are responsible for your bones, muscles, organs, and bodily fluids, as well as your skin, hair, and nails. They also play a role in immune response, vision, blood clotting, and the production of enzymes and hormones.
Without protein, we wouldn’t be able to grow or survive.
Unlike carbs and fat, our bodies can’t really store protein. Instead, we break down the protein we consume to get those important amino acids, which are then used throughout every system in the body.
That’s why it’s so important to eat enough protein regularly. Once you digest it, it’s used or recycled within your body—and you need more to keep everything running smoothly.
I’m not suggesting you constantly need to be eating protein, but ensuring that you have enough on a regular basis is essential.
How Much Protein Is Enough?
Women’s brain health registered dietitian Barbie Boules recommends that women aim for 1.2–1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.
For someone who weighs 150 pounds (68 kg), that’s at least 82 grams of protein daily.
Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple, a research scientist focusing on women’s health and fitness, agrees that you should aim for a minimum of 1.2 g per kg or 0.55 g per pound.
Both experts agree that the current RDA (recommended daily allowance) of 0.8 g/kg is too low. They also note that intakes at or above 1.6 g/kg (0.73 g/lb) aren’t dangerous and may be right in cases of very active individuals, but they’re not necessary for everyone either.
For context:
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6 oz chicken breast = 37.8 g
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6 oz tofu = ~14 g
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1 cup cottage cheese = 28 g
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1 large egg = ~6 g
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2 tbsp peanut butter = 8 g
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¼ cup steel-cut oats = 5 g
Essentially, if you’re eating a a diet of mostly minimally-processed foods from a wide variety of sources, you should be just fine.
Protein and the Menopause Transition
So, what about women in the menopause transition? Do they really need more protein than everyone else?
Not really.
There are some wild claims suggesting that women lose up to 10% of their muscle mass during menopause—but the data doesn’t back that up.
Both women and men lose a small amount of muscle mass every year starting in their thirties. Women lose around 0.37% per year, while men lose around 0.47% per year. This is especially true if you’re not doing anything to deliberately build muscle mass (we’ll get to that in a moment).
Once we hit 75, muscle-mass loss increases to around 0.64–0.7% per year for women and 0.8–0.98% per year for men.
According to Dr. Colenso-Semple—quoted in an article for The Vajenda—this makes sense because as we get older, we’re typically less physically active, which impacts muscle loss:
“Depending on the measurement technique, the rate of muscle loss is ~0.05% to ~1% per year. Aging and reduced physical activity often go hand in hand, so muscle loss in individuals over 75 tends to be greater than muscle loss in individuals in their early 60s.”
She also notes that, so far, the evidence doesn’t indicate that the decrease in estrogen—which plays a big role in the menopause transition—has any direct impact on muscle loss.
The two things that put some perimenopausal and post-menopausal women at slightly higher risk for muscle loss are decreased physical activity and having less lean muscle to begin with.
If you’re starting with less muscle, you don’t have as much to lose.
Protein Alone Won’t Build Muscle
We know protein is essential for building muscle—but protein alone won’t make your muscles grow.
You can’t eat your way to more muscle.
If that were true, people on the carnivore diet would be ripped without ever setting foot in a gym.
In order to actually build muscle, you have to add strength training. Without increasing the load you’re asking your muscles to carry, they won’t grow or get stronger.
So the recommendation for women in perimenopause to consume significantly more protein than Dr. Colenso-Semple’s suggested 0.55 g per pound of body weight is unnecessary.
What becomes more important as you get older is staying physically active—and ideally adding resistance training—to prevent and slow the process of muscle loss that’s more associated with aging than menopause itself.
So eat all the protein you want, but make sure you’re also giving your muscles a boost by lifting weights, too.
The Bottom Line
Protein is essential at every age—but it’s not a magic bullet.
For midlife women, the combination of adequate protein and regular strength training is what keeps your body strong, functional, and capable for decades to come.
Eat enough, move your body, lift some weights, and build a body that lasts. —Naomi
References:
Article in The Vajenda by Dr. Jen Gunter: https://vajenda.substack.com/p/muscle-mass-and-perimenopause
Front Page Fitness podcast with Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple and Dr. Eric Trexler covering protein specifically: https://podcasts.apple.com/il/podcast/ep-5-is-protein-over-rated/id1809853430?i=1000709352461
