Gabrielle Lyon protein intake recommendation

Gabrielle Lyon’s overall target is about 1 gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight per day. She also recommends 30–50 grams at the first and last meals. 1 2

• RDA and muscle health: Lyon says the current protein RDA is a minimum intended to prevent deficiency, not a target designed to optimize muscle health; she considers it too low for that purpose. 3
• Plant-based diets: She says people getting their protein from plant sources may need about 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight. 4
• Leucine: She cites a target closer to 9 grams of leucine per day, above the 2.7-gram RDA she discusses. 5
• Resistance training: Lyon emphasizes pairing dietary protein with resistance training to support skeletal-muscle health, particularly as people age. 6 7
• Protein per meal: She says muscle protein synthesis may max out around 50–55 grams per meal; additional protein is still used, but is oxidized or used for energy rather than further increasing that synthesis. 8