What is the protein RDA?
The protein RDA for adults is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. An article on protein requirements reports it from the Food and Nutrition Board, and notes the adult figure has been essentially unchanged for more than 70 years.
Action level No action usually needed
- Why you are seeing it
- RDA appears in nutrition articles and on supplement pages, with a gram figure.
- Why it matters
- It is the reference figure that many other numbers about protein are compared with.
- What should I do?
- Work out the arithmetic for your weight with the Protein Reference Calculator.
- Read it as a reference for healthy adults and not as advice for you.
- Ask a doctor or dietitian if you have a medical condition or special needs.
- A common misunderstanding
- The RDA is a reference amount. It is not a target set for any one person.
What the figure is
The review that was read says the EAR and the RDA for protein are 0.66 and 0.80 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, and that the RDA for adults 18 and older has been essentially unchanged for more than 70 years.
An RDA is a reference amount for planning for groups of healthy people. It is not tailored to one person.
A simple example
For 160 pounds
160 pounds / 2.2046 = 72.6 kilograms.
72.6 x 0.8 = 58 grams of protein a day under the adult RDA arithmetic.
A person at 70 kilograms works out to 70 x 0.8 = 56 grams.
Working it out for a weight
Convert pounds to kilograms by dividing by 2.2046, then multiply by 0.8. The result is the reference arithmetic. People who are children, pregnant, ill, older or very active may be covered by other figures, which this page does not give.
Try these tools
- Protein Reference CalculatorSee what the adult protein RDA of 0.8 grams per kilogram works out to for a body weight.
- Nutrition Label CalculatorEnter the numbers on a food label and the servings you ate to see what you actually ate. Also multiplies a label by any number of servings.