ARS Researchers Explore How Regular Protein Consumption Can Ward Off Disability in Older Adults

What should we be eating? Meat? Plant-based foods? The Mediterranean Diet? With all the competing claims out there, it can be hard to know what to put on our plates. Luckily, there is at least some agreement among those who study nutrition: we all need protein.

“Because protein is found in all cells of the body, it is important for the structure, function, and regulation of the body’s tissues and organs as well as a healthy immune system,” explained Dr. Shanon Casperson, Research Biologist and Lead Scientist with ARS’s Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center (GFHNRC), in Grand Forks, ND. “Without adequate protein intake, the body will break down its existing skeletal muscle to get what it needs to maintain critical metabolic functions; this becomes especially important for older adults during times of illness or injury.”