Dietary recommendations for protein are often narrowly shaped by the RDA, which is defined as the minimum amount of protein to prevent inadequacies in 97.5% of healthy adults based on data derived largely from short-term studies of nitrogen balance in young adults ( 1). The optimum protein intake for adult health remains controversial. This review will highlight the benefits of higher protein diets to optimize health during aging, inactivity, bed rest, or metabolic dysfunction such as type 2 diabetes. Leucine provides an important example of an essential amino acid where the RDA of 42 mg/kg body weight is significantly less than the 100–110 mg/kg required to optimize metabolic regulation and skeletal muscle protein synthesis. Further, the dietary requirement for protein is a surrogate for the constituent amino acids and, in particular, the 9 considered to be indispensable. Although the RDA for protein of 0.8 g/kg body weight is adequate to avoid obvious inadequacies, multiple studies provide evidence that many adults may benefit from protein quantity, quality, and distribution beyond guidelines currently defined by the RDA. Evidence is accumulating that similar logic should be applied to dietary recommendations for protein. For most nutrients, the minimum RDA is based on alleviating a clear deficiency condition, whereas higher intakes are often recommended to optimize specific health outcomes. The range is defined from the minimum intake to avoid risk of inadequacy (i.e., the RDA) up to an upper limit (UL) based on a detectable risk of adverse effects. The DRIs define a range of acceptable dietary intakes for each nutrient.
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