Unlocking the benefits of protein: where science meets everyday nutrition

Protein has become a cultural phenomenon, with online searches for a "high protein diet" reaching record highs in 2025. And yet, few people are aware of how much protein is recommended for them or how different sources bring different benefits of protein. This is important for healthy adults to optimize overall health and well-being, and it’s critical for healthcare professionals managing patients with various health conditions.

• Quantity : The body needs protein constantly, so it has to be regularly replenished through dietary protein. For adults, in general, the reference is minimally 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, and it is used to ensure nearly everyone reaches the minimum protein requirements. However, older adults or those with high activity levels may need more protein -- as much as 20 grams per serving -- to maximize the effects of exercise. For the US, the latest guidelines recommend 1.2-1.6 grams per kilogram to avoid muscle loss over the lifespan. 

• Quality: Protein is made of amino acids. How well a source of protein meets the body’s needs for these building blocks determines if it is a complete protein. Protein supports vital functions like maintenance, growth and recovery. Dietary protein mainly comes from both animal and plant-based protein sources.

Protein scientists in Danone R&I consider both quantity and quality when designing for a specific need. Often, they’ll mix sources, for example hybrids of plant and animal protein sources or proteins different types of plants to optimize their amino acid profile, to design foods that deliver both on quantity and quality. 

Health benefits of protein

Consumers easily associate eating protein with building muscle mass, but protein does much more. The essential amino acids in protein rich foods support health by helping with growth, recovery, aging and even simply breathing. As true overachievers, they also have a role in hormone signalling, digestion and carrying of oxygen in the blood. Since protein helps you feel full, it is a key tool for weight management and those trying to lose weight. With so many health benefits of protein, Danone’s research explores the increased protein needs of athletes and the role of protein during recovery from illness.

Protein choices: Matching protein to need 

• Casein protein: the most common protein in dairy. This is a slow-digested complete protein that can fuel a full, active morning or to help with overnight recovery.

• Whey protein: this much smaller dairy-based source of protein is absorbed very quickly. It is ideal for protein shakes or post-workout recovery and to prevent malnutrition in those experiencing digestive  challenges.

• Plant-based protein: many plant-based sources of protein can be combined to ensure people get enough protein even with cow’s milk allergy or vegan lifestyles.

Engaging the five senses

Food is exciting because it stimulates all our senses. That’s so important beacause even the healthiest food will deliver zero health benefit if no one eats it. When our user experience team works on a high-protein food, they look at how potential users experience it in a 360⁰ way. How does it look? How does it taste and smell, from opening the packet to a minute after eating it? What is its texture? How easy is it to hold, open and close on the go? How does it work for breakfast? After a workout?

Color, temperature, flavor, feel… Even unconsciously, every detail affects how you perceive a food and how protein helps you feel. The real challenge is to design a product that delivers the right amount and quality of protein while meeting the expectations and protein choices of people with very different tastes and preferences. Our sensory scientists and packaging experts work with consumers to design and test concepts, iterating until they find the experience that people are happy to add to their regular health and fitness routines to support their overall health.

Protein, active lifestyles and weight loss journeys

Protein-rich foods like dairy drinks and yogurt are great allies to anyone who wants to eat more protein, exercise and maintain their body shape. Consumers trying to lose weight will look for a higher protein concentration and essential nutrients (in different flavors and formats). 

Working with people who are interested in eating protein-rich foods, we developed a product that also meets sensory and behavioral expectations, setting a new benchmark for functional dairy drinks.

Our teams developed a high-quality, patented blend of whey protein, leucine, vitamin D, to target muscle retention (protein supports this) and with prebiotic fiber to support digestive health. Clinical studies support that the blend helps build and maintain muscle when paired with exercise and balanced nutrition during weight loss. This is highly relevant amid GLP-1 use, where loss of muscle mass can reach 25-40% and users often require increased protein through foods that are absorbed quickly. It is also important for many that high protein foods do not feel too heavy. 

Protein, cancer and recovery

Some illnesses, such as cancer, trigger an inflammatory response which causes both a faster breakdown of muscle proteins, as well as a reduced ability to rebuild muscle tissue. Increased protein intake is often recommended by healthcare professionals to help counteract loss of muscle mass during disease and treatment and maintain resilience during recovery from critical illness.

But eating protein in a fragile state can be a struggle and ensuring patients get the protein they need is a major challenge. To make it easier, our teams developed a medical food in a drink form with a highly concentrated amount of protein and patented blend of nutrients in flavors specially designed for and with patients with treatment-related taste alterations.

Our research teams also found that high protein oral nutritional supplements (HPONS) can make a measurable difference in recovery from cancer treatment. In a systematic review of 30 studies and 2200 patients, high protein oral nutritional supplements were linked to fewer health complications and shorter hospital stays. It marks a major step towards improved outcomes.

Plant-based protein for patients

Some people rely on tube feeding (enteral nutrition) to meet part or all of thier nutritional needs. A smooth transition of  food through the stomach is critical for tube feed tolerance as it reduces the risk of complications.   

To offer patients more options, Danone teams created a blend of plant-based and dairy protein sources. They used a computerized simulation of the gastrointestinal tract to test the formula before moving to clinical studies. Not only did patients tolerate the new blend well: 96% adhere to their recommended amount of tube feed. 

• Digital health and data science offer the possibility to put tailored recommendations and daily protein requirements in easy reach of consumers.
• Making a more personalized match between foods (quantity, quality and even timing of consuming protein) and individual needs (age, exercise status, health and goals) is within reach. It’s part of a future in which you are better informed to manage your weight and make your own choices, connecting science with effective, everyday health decisions.
• New, sustainable protein sources are becoming available thanks to biomass and precision fermentation techniques.

Our commitment to health through food is profound, from everyday nutrition to medical nutrition, supporting those with unique health conditions and to sustainability, innovating with plant-based sources of protein and new technologies. And bringing health benefits to as many as possible is about meeting people where they are, with foods that fit their needs, preferences and lives.

• EFSA (European Food Safety Authority): Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for protein.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH): Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids.
• Paddon-Jones D, et al.: Role of dietary protein in the sarcopenia of aging. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
• PROT-AGE Study Group: Protein intake and size in healthy older adults. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (JAMDA).

Katrien van Laere is SVP of Research & Innovation and Chief Scientific & Medical Officer at Danone, leading global teams in nutrition and health science.

Susan Zaripheh, Chief Research & Innovation Officer, North America at Danone with a passion for translating science into foods that delight consumers.