Is protein after menopause different from protein for other women over 40?

Adult reference intakes are set for adults as a group. Muscle papers in postmenopausal women use the higher range together with exercise. Menopause has no UK reference intake of its own.

Do I need protein shakes?

Fill the protein quarter of the plate with fish, eggs, yoghurt, beans or tofu. A powder is a question for a GP or a dietitian when meals are not reaching the total you are aiming at.

How does this fit with strength training?

Keep the strengthening minimum from the activity section, on top of aerobic work. The active line shows when that work is already in the week. Weights are the training the British Menopause Society highlights for building muscle.

Weight and diet

Protein calculator after 40

See a daily protein target from your weight, with the UK strengthening guideline beside it.

By Ines Kovac. Published 22 October 2026. 7 minute read.

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A speckled bowl seen from above holds cubed salmon, sliced boiled eggs, green beans, sweetcorn, rice and a green mash.

After 40, and again in menopause, people often quote one protein target in grams. It is rarely based on your weight. Enter your weight in kilograms. The rates below are grams of protein per kilogram per day: 0.75 on the UK reference (British Nutrition Foundation), 0.83 on the EU population reference for adults, including older adults (European Food Safety Authority), and 0.8 on the US reference (NIH Office of Dietary Supplements). The range studied for muscle in older adults is 1.0 to 1.2.

Pair those protein rates with muscle-strengthening activity. UK guidance recommends doing that activity on at least two days a week. What goes on the plate for weight, bones and heart is in Diet and menopause: weight, bones and heart.

Work out your daily protein

Muscle loss in menopause

The Menopause Society says women naturally lose muscle mass at about 3% to 8% per decade after age 30. Women over 40 ask about protein because of that loss. The society's patient page says there is no scientific evidence that menopause or hormone therapy is responsible for midlife weight gain. It points to aging and lifestyle.

The guide on menopause weight gain and belly fat explains why weight changes at this age. Aching joints and muscles during these years are explained in the guide to joint pain in menopause. The recommended plate proportions, along with advice on resistance training, are in the diet guide. More eating guides are in the weight and diet section.

How much protein after menopause

Protein intake in menopause follows those adult references. The UK number is the Reference Nutrient Intake, set for adults as a population figure. The EU figure applies to older adults as well as to younger adults.

The National Academies table lists 46 g a day for females aged 19 and over, based on a reference weight. The calculator uses the weight you enter, so the US total can differ from that 46 g.

Mersey Care, an NHS trust, says people over 40, breastfeeding women, menopausal women, pregnant women and athletes may need more than the UK reference.

A higher range studied for muscle

The range mentioned above is what an ESCEO expert group recommends for postmenopausal women, with at least 20 to 25 g of high-quality protein at each main meal. The PROT-AGE study group recommends at least this same range for adults over 65, to maintain lean mass and function. For older adults who exercise and are otherwise active, PROT-AGE advises at least 1.2 grams for every kilogram of body weight.

A fact sheet from the US Administration for Community Living says researchers often recommend that range alongside endurance and resistance training, except in kidney disease. If you have kidney disease, speak to a GP or a dietitian before increasing your protein. That sheet pairs the higher amount with training.

Strength training in menopause

The NHS recommends this for adults aged 19 to 64: strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups, listed as legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms, as well as aerobic activity. The UK Chief Medical Officers use that same minimum, and they add that any strengthening activity is better than none.

The British Menopause Society calls regular resistance training with weights the most efficient way to build muscle, raise metabolic rate and change your shape. The diet guide already pairs resistance training with meal planning. These are public guidelines, offered as general information.

Protein calculator

Type a weight from 40 to 200 kilograms. Indicate whether you already do strength training in a typical week, and select your age group: 40 to 64 or 65 and over. The totals are estimates for general information, not a diagnosis or a prescription.

Protein for a weight of 70 kg

For a woman weighing 70 kg, the UK reference comes out at 52.5 g, the EU reference at 58.1 g and the US reference at 56 g. The higher range for that weight is 70 g to 84 g. If she already strength-trains, the figure for an active older adult is 84 g.

Build each meal as the British Menopause Society weight tips describe: one quarter protein, one quarter carbohydrate, and half fruit, vegetables or salad. At lunch, put 20 to 25 g of protein in that quarter of the plate. Fish, eggs, yoghurt, beans or tofu can fill that quarter. To add up the calcium in those foods, use the postmenopause calcium checker.

How the totals are worked out

Each total is your weight in kilograms times the rate from its source. These are the sources for the daily rates, the strengthening guideline and the muscle findings.

My take

I would start with the UK reference for my weight. If I were already strength-training each week and I wanted to maintain muscle, I would follow the muscle range, using 1.2 grams per kilogram in the weeks I train. The NIH sheet describes a high-protein diet as two to three times the US reference. I would go that high only if a clinician advised it. Ordinary food comes before a protein shake.