Protein has become a marketing category. It is added to cereal, coffee, water and snack bars, and the implied message is that more is better. A review published July 31 argues that for a large share of adults, the evidence does not support that message.
The review drew on more than 350 published papers examining protein restriction and aging, spanning yeast, fruit flies, rodents and human clinical trials. Its central claim is that many people, particularly sedentary adults, are consuming more protein than their bodies need, and that lower intake is associated with better metabolic markers.
