The official RDI is lower than most people think
Australia's Nutrient Reference Values set the Recommended Dietary Intake for protein at roughly 0.75–0.84g per kilogram of bodyweight for most adults — a figure designed to prevent deficiency in a sedentary population, not to optimise health, body composition or performance. For an 80kg adult, that's around 60–67g per day. In practice, most nutrition research on body composition, muscle maintenance and satiety points to meaningfully higher intakes — commonly 1.6–2.2g per kilogram — being more useful targets for anyone with a specific goal.
Four things actually change your number
- Your goal. Weight maintenance, weight loss and muscle gain all call for different intakes — losing weight and building muscle both raise the target above simple maintenance.
- Activity level. Someone doing regular resistance training breaks down and repairs more muscle tissue than someone largely sedentary, and needs more protein to support that.
- Age. From around 50 onward, the body becomes less efficient at using dietary protein to build and maintain muscle — a phenomenon researchers call anabolic resistance — so older adults need more per kilogram to achieve the same effect.
- Body composition. Protein needs track more closely with lean mass than total bodyweight, which is why two people at the same weight but different body compositions can have meaningfully different actual needs.
Is eating a lot of protein actually risky?
For healthy adults with normal kidney function, there's no strong evidence that the intakes discussed here (up to around 2.2g per kilogram) pose a health risk — concerns about protein and kidney damage largely come from studies on people who already have kidney disease, not from healthy populations. That said, if you have an existing kidney condition or another relevant medical concern, check with your doctor before making a significant change to your protein intake.
A rule of thumb vs. an actual number
General ranges are useful for understanding the topic, but they're not a substitute for a number based on your actual weight, age, activity and goal. Our protein calculator runs the same calculation used in the HitProtein app to give you a specific daily target rather than a broad range.
FAQs
Is the RDI enough protein?
The RDI is set to prevent deficiency in a sedentary population — it's a floor, not an optimal target. Most people with a specific fitness or body composition goal benefit from intakes above it.
Can eating too much protein damage your kidneys?
For healthy adults with normal kidney function, there's no strong evidence that higher protein intakes (within the ranges discussed here) cause kidney damage. The concern mainly applies to people who already have kidney disease.
Does everyone need the same amount of protein?
No — it varies significantly based on weight, activity level, age and goal. A generic average doesn't reflect any specific person's actual need.
Ready to know your own number?
HitProtein sets your personalised target automatically and tracks it as you eat.