Protein for older women

[Bkworm]

Hope I am posting this in the correct forum. Couldn't really decide as it can fit in several.

Oh well, here is my question. How many grams of protein is consider the optimal amount for a senior woman, say over age 60 to consume on a daily basis? Does that figure differ from younger women or males? Does an older women have higher protein requirements?

My friend is diabetic, suffered a MI in 2010 with stents put in, COPD with daily breathing treatments, macular degeneration, is obese weighing over 250 pounds, has carotid issues, etc. Her husband was told this week that she needs to eat more protein and should add eggs and veggie cheese back into her way of eating. Her doctor is a vegetarian and supposedly has such good advice for her patients. I have so many issues with her doctor can't go into it. My friend lives out of state in a rural area and is very limited on choice in doctors. Sent friend Dr. Barnard's book on diabetes. When friend asked the doctor to read what Dr. Barnard says about the need to stop or reduce oral meds for diabetes, the doctor was too busy to bother.

This friend has been loosely following this WOE for a year and a half without good results. When I say loosely, I just recently learned she is still eating a lot of processed foods in the form of sweets primarily. She has gone into a hypoglycemic state a number of times recently and the doctor's solution is more protein.

Now that I know she has been consuming more processed foods - sweets primarily - I don't understand how she is going into a hypoglycemic state. It looks like her blood sugar would be going in the opposite direction. However, she does take insulin several times a day plus takes either 3 or 4 oral meds.

Just curious how many grams of protein she should be been consuming. The doctor just advised more protein.

Thanks for any input.

[MINNIE]

I think this is a good question for Jeff Novick -we can all give opinions, but he would actually know:)
Probably this has been discussed in his section of the site, and you might try searching there.

Also, most doctors seem to routinely tell people to "get more protein", no matter what the diagnosis is. It's meaningless advice, unless they know how much is really needed for that individual, and how much they are actually consuming.

People who are following this way of eating are getting enough protein without any effort. Your friend may or may not be, depending on what she currently eats.

[arugula]

I am guessing that the doctor thinks that extra protein would be less detrimental to her compared to extra refined carbohydrate.

I would also guess that he thinks that any other recommendation (i.e. whole foods only, no oils etc.) would result in noncompliance.

But that could be a horrible recommendation.

In this paper, Levine et al., Low Protein Intake Is Associated with a Major Reduction in IGF-1, Cancer, and Overall Mortality in the 65 and Younger but Not Older Population, Cell Metabolism 19, 407–417, March 4, 2014

Diabetes mortality hazard ratio are 3-15 times higher than baseline for a high protein diet after age 65, depending on model adjustments.

In this paper, the most hazardous adjustment of all seems to be high animal protein intake.

[ETeSelle]

Honestly, if she's overweight that means that she's taking in more calories than she needs, and that almost certainly means that she's taking in more protein than she needs. She needs to lose weight--that means eating foods lower in calorie density (green and yellow veggies, whole starches (not breads), fruits). She'll get plenty of protein eating beans and veggies.

[calvin]

...here is my question. How many grams of protein is consider the optimal amount for a senior woman, say over age 60 to consume on a daily basis? Does that figure differ from younger women or males? Does an older women have higher protein requirements?...

The answer is clear and uncomplicated, is it not?

The proper amount of protein is the amount consumed while following this woe...whether you're an "older" woman or a "younger" man.

We do understand, do we not, that at no time in life is more protein needed than as a neonate. And ideally* a neonate is living on nothing but human breast milk. And human breast milk contains something on the order of 10% of total calories in protein. Never, whether you become an Olympian, a triathlete, a body builder, an organ donor, or a marathoner, will you ever need more. Meanwhile, it is difficult for a vegetarian to get less than 15% of calories in protein.

*For modern babies, breast feeding has become a luxury rather than routine. The result is The classic example of an "oral complex", if such a thing existed, lending a grain of truth to Sigmund's otherwise naive belief system. Any wonder so many adults do not know what to put in their mouths?

The Great Protein Fiasco
Dr. Ruth Heidrich on protein at about 10minutes into the video

Ok, I'm off my little soapbox.

[Jumpstart]

Actually breast milk is 6% protein. But using percentages makes no sense. It hides the fact that protein should be based on ideal body weight. A one year old baby need 900 calories and that 6% protein translates in 1.2 grams of protein per k/g of body weight since a one year old should be 21 pounds on average. If you translate that to a 160 pound man (73/74) kilograms it would mean he's getting 88 grams of protein.

Yes, we usually get enough protein IF we eat a standard 2000 calorie diet, but how many on this WOE are eating 2K? Think about those on MWL eating 1200/1500 calories or less. We don't seem to think that how much we eat should be based on our ideal body weight instead we all decide we're going to diet eating 1200 calories whether we are 5 foot two or 5 foot eight. The smaller woman might be getting enough protein but the larger woman takes the risk of losing muscle and bone mass without enough protein.

A hospital study was done on older women who came in with various bone breaks. They discovered those who had the breaks were eating .8 gram per kilogram of body weight. They broke the patients into two groups, one group continued getting .8 and the other was given 1.2. The 1.2 group healed faster and had fewer deaths as a result of their hospitalization.

The lesson should be to determine the amount of protein you need based on your ideal weight. The Adventist 2 study showed the average intake of protein for women was 1.22 grams per kilogram. Okinawan women consume 1.06 grams per kilogram. The Tarahumara eat 1.71 grams per k/g.