Hacker News Reader

Comment by driverdan | Hacker News Reader

Actually it's 1-2g of protein per kg of weight, not lb. Unless you're on anabolic steroids or are on a protein sparing modified fast (PSMF) 1.5g of protein per lb isn't going to help you gain or retain more muscle.

Source: A week ago I read through all studies I could find on pubmed about optimal protein intake for muscle gain.

View on HN

this is where i got my data - http://examine.com/faq/how-much-protein-do-i-need-every-day.... - and you're right. I aim for 200g/day which for me is 2g/kg and probably a bit more than i need. I've noticed if i work out and eat much less than that i don't recover as well.

It's 1g per lb of lean weight. That would be for a beginner, trained athletes aren't going to be putting on so much muscle so won't need so much protein.

Correct on the steroids and fasting though.

Even 1/g per pound is too much. A perfectly optimal level for bodybuilders is around .82g per pound. One can extrapolate from there for those not seeking hypertrophy. - http://mennohenselmans.com/the-myth-of-1glb-optimal-protein-...

Those studies all focus on trained individuals. As a novice you would be putting on more muscle than a trained bodybuilder or strength athlete.

It's worth pointing out as well that there is no disadvantage to consuming too much protein.

Strength standards for beginners.

http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards....

there is no disadvantage to consuming too much protein.

Uh... there are many sources that cite problems with eating too much protein. Dehydration, kidney stress, calcium deficiency, heart disease, and other side-effects of increased fat or cholesterol levels of foods with large amounts of protein.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/468026-physiological-conse... http://breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/put-down-steak-youre-eat... http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=50...

None of those links actually cite a disadvantage. In fact from the second:

"Finally, the authors reiterate that even if you consume “unnecessarily high protein intakes” like 1.3 grams per pound of body weight per day, this still isn’t a risk to your kidneys unless you already had kidney disease."

Reply on news.ycombinator.com