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The War on Protein
A 35-year-old patient walked into my Emergency Department with diverticulitis — and told me he was eating 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day because he heard it on a podcast. He had rearranged his entire diet around a number that was never meant for him, and in doing so, had displaced the exact foods that would have protected him from the diagnosis he was sitting in front of me with.
This episode is the conversation that case deserved. We walk through where the 0.8 g/kg RDA actually came from, why it's a floor rather than a target, and what the real evidence says about protein intake across three distinct populations — healthy adults, athletes, and adults over 65. We cover the landmark Harvard cohort data on plant versus animal protein, the controlled trial showing habitual vegans and omnivores build identical muscle when protein is matched, and the 2025 meta analysis that delivers the single most important finding for your grandparents: protein without resistance training does nothing.
Along the way, we break down three myths — the "war on protein," the "plant protein is inferior" claim, and the "more is always better" fallacy — and flag the manipulation tactics behind each one.
By the end of this episode, you'll know exactly how much protein you need based on your goals, where it should come from, and why none of it matters without the weights.
• Healthy adults maintaining muscle: 1.0–1.2 g/kg/day
• Adults resistance training: 1.2–1.6 g/kg/day
• Adults over 65: 1.0–1.5 g/kg/day, always with resistance training
• Prioritise plant sources; animal protein as a complement, not the foundation
• Protein without resistance training does not prevent sarcopenia
For the full reference list, companion blog post, and free resistance training programme templates, visit DrCois.com. If this episode was useful, please share it with someone who's rearranged their diet around a protein number they never needed.
Next episode: supplements — what works, what doesn't, and how to tell the difference.
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By Dr Adrian Cois MDA 35-year-old patient walked into my Emergency Department with diverticulitis — and told me he was eating 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day because he heard it on a podcast. He had rearranged his entire diet around a number that was never meant for him, and in doing so, had displaced the exact foods that would have protected him from the diagnosis he was sitting in front of me with.
This episode is the conversation that case deserved. We walk through where the 0.8 g/kg RDA actually came from, why it's a floor rather than a target, and what the real evidence says about protein intake across three distinct populations — healthy adults, athletes, and adults over 65. We cover the landmark Harvard cohort data on plant versus animal protein, the controlled trial showing habitual vegans and omnivores build identical muscle when protein is matched, and the 2025 meta analysis that delivers the single most important finding for your grandparents: protein without resistance training does nothing.
Along the way, we break down three myths — the "war on protein," the "plant protein is inferior" claim, and the "more is always better" fallacy — and flag the manipulation tactics behind each one.
By the end of this episode, you'll know exactly how much protein you need based on your goals, where it should come from, and why none of it matters without the weights.
• Healthy adults maintaining muscle: 1.0–1.2 g/kg/day
• Adults resistance training: 1.2–1.6 g/kg/day
• Adults over 65: 1.0–1.5 g/kg/day, always with resistance training
• Prioritise plant sources; animal protein as a complement, not the foundation
• Protein without resistance training does not prevent sarcopenia
For the full reference list, companion blog post, and free resistance training programme templates, visit DrCois.com. If this episode was useful, please share it with someone who's rearranged their diet around a protein number they never needed.
Next episode: supplements — what works, what doesn't, and how to tell the difference.