How much protein do women over 40 need?

By Replete · Updated October 21, 2026

Women over 40 should aim for 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight a day (0.54 to 0.73 g per pound), the range in the 2025 to 2030 Dietary Guidelines. At 150 lb (68 kg), that's 82 to 109 g a day, about 27 to 36 g a meal. Exercise more, aim higher.

How many grams of protein a day?

Find your weight, then how often you exercise. The steps are the ones the Replete app uses: 1.2 g per kg with little or no exercise, 1.4 with exercise 1 to 3 days a week, and 1.6 with 3 to 5 days. The guidelines give one range, not one for each age or sex, so it's the same at 40, 45 or 49. It sits well above the National Academy of Medicine's minimum of 0.8 g per kg (0.36 g per pound).

Not in the table? Multiply your weight in pounds by 0.54 to 0.73, or in kg by 1.2 to 1.6. Over about 150 lb (68 kg)? Check the next table for your height too.

If you train most days, you can go higher: the International Society of Sports Nutrition puts people who exercise at 1.4 to 2.0 g per kg (0.64 to 0.91 g per pound), which is 95 to 136 g a day at 150 lb.

Does a heavier body need more protein?

Not in step with the scale. A 2025 review of protein needs in obesity suggests at least 1.2 g per kg during weight loss, with body weight counted only up to a BMI of 30. No trial has tested that directly, so it rests on indirect evidence, but it keeps the number sensible: without it, a 250 lb (113 kg) woman would be told 136 to 181 g a day. If you weigh more than the weight shown for your height, use the weight in the table:

Why does protein matter more after 40?

Because muscle loss is getting close. In a study of 468 men and women aged 18 to 88, muscle mass was noticeably lower only from about age 50, mostly in the lower body.

Menopause adds to it. A US study that scanned women's bodies through menopause found that from the start of the change until about two years after the last period, fat gain doubled its pace and lean mass (which includes muscle) fell. Weight kept rising at the same steady pace as before, so the scale didn't show it.

Protein is half of the answer, and strength work is the other half. A review of muscle during weight loss found that enough protein and exercise both help keep muscle, and that strength exercise also makes you stronger. The WHO suggests strength work for all the major muscles on 2 or more days a week, for adults of every age.

Do women over 40 need more protein to lose weight?

You need the same grams, on fewer calories. Keep the protein where it is and take the cut from fat and carbs, because eating less costs some muscle along with the fat, and after 40 muscle is already harder to keep. In 24 trials of reduced-calorie diets, the higher-protein diets kept about 0.4 kg (1 lb) more lean mass. More on that in protein for weight loss.

Does menopause change how much protein you need?

Not on paper: none of the guidelines on this page sets a separate figure for perimenopause or menopause. What changes is the muscle loss above, which is a reason to reach your range every day and to lift. You'll see higher figures quoted for menopause, 2 g per kg and up. They don't come from these guidelines, and in 49 trials of strength training, extra protein stopped adding muscle at about 1.6 g per kg a day on average.

How much protein per meal after 40?

About a third of your day's total at each of three meals: for most women, roughly 25 to 40 g. If breakfast is toast or cereal, fix that meal first: two eggs and a 170 g pot of Greek yogurt make 30 g.

Each meal may count for more with age. In a pooled analysis of studies in men, men around 71 needed about 0.4 g of protein per kg in a meal to get the most muscle building from it, against about 0.24 g for men around 22. It was only in men and the difference was borderline, but for a 150 lb (68 kg) woman, 0.4 g per kg is about 27 g: one more reason to put a real serving at every meal.

What does a day of 95 g of protein look like?

Here's one for a 150 lb (68 kg) woman who exercises 1 to 3 days a week, with figures from USDA FoodData Central:

Without meat or fish, have a cup (198 g) of cooked lentils and 100 g (3.5 oz) of edamame at lunch (30 g) and 150 g (5.3 oz) of firm tofu at dinner (26 g): the day comes to about 94 g. Without eggs or dairy too, tofu, tempeh, edamame, lentils and beans do the job, often two at a meal. Bread, rice and vegetables add a little more on top. For which foods give the most protein per calorie, see the table in protein for weight loss.

Is 1 g of protein per pound too much?

For most women over 40, it's more than you need. 1 g per pound is 2.2 g per kg: at 150 lb, that's 150 g a day against 82 to 109 g from the guideline range. The same 49 strength-training trials found no extra muscle past about 1.6 g per kg on average; its authors suggest going as high as 2.2 g per kg (1 g per pound) for people trying to build as much muscle as they can. It didn't harm kidney function in trials (see below), but the extra 41 g is about 160 kcal a day that could go to other food.

Watch the units. To turn g per kg into g per pound, divide by 2.2: 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg is 0.54 to 0.73 g per pound. The 0.8 to 1.2 g per pound you'll see quoted for active women is 1.8 to 2.6 g per kg.

How much protein over 50, 60 or 70?

The same range holds. For people over 65, the PROT-AGE expert group recommends at least 1.0 to 1.2 g per kg a day, and at least 1.2 if you're active. 1.2 is already the bottom of the range here. If you have a long-term illness, ask your doctor or a registered dietitian what's right for you.

Is a high-protein diet safe after 40?

For healthy kidneys, the trials found no harm. In a 2018 analysis of 28 studies with 1,358 adults, kidney function changed no differently on higher-protein diets than on lower or normal ones. If you have kidney disease, ask your doctor or a registered dietitian before eating more protein: with severe kidney disease, PROT-AGE notes it may need to be limited. Pregnant, breastfeeding or taking a weight-loss medicine? Ask the doctor or midwife who looks after you.

Do you need protein powder?

No. Active people can meet their protein needs with whole foods, says the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

General information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication, check with your doctor or a registered dietitian before you change how you eat.