Protein intake in adolescent athletes: Nutritional requirements and performance implications

TL;DR

This narrative review compiles peer-reviewed literature (2010–2024) on protein requirements, timing, sources, and supplementation for adolescent athletes (ages 12–18), concluding that needs range roughly 1.2–2.0 g/kg/day depending on sport and training intensity. It emphasizes a food-first approach, individualized plans, and education for athletes, coaches, and parents, while flagging excessive intake (>3.0 g/kg/day) as offering no additional performance benefit.

Key findings

• Adolescent athletes require 1.2–2.0 g/kg/day of protein depending on sport type and training intensity; sport-specific breakdowns given are strength sports 1.6–2.0, endurance sports 1.2–1.6, and mixed sports 1.4–1.8 g/kg/day.
• Consuming 20–25 g of protein within 30 min after exercise (elsewhere stated as within 2 h) may enhance muscle recovery; evenly distributing intake (~0.4 g/kg per meal) is also recommended.
• Excessive intake exceeding 3.0 g/kg/day may increase nitrogen excretion without additional performance benefit, with further cautions about kidney strain and altered calcium metabolism.
• In industrialized nations, children and adolescents typically consume two to three times the recommended protein (e.g., UK NDNS: 52.9 g/d at ages 4–10 and 64.5 g/d at 11–18, i.e., 1.40 and 2.39× the PRI; Spain ENALIA: 74.45–93.6 g/d, 3.88–1.88× the PRI; US NHANES: 59.7–79.75 g/d).
• Table 1 consolidates guideline comparisons: WHO 0.85–1.0 g/kg/day (general adolescents), ACSM 1.2–2.0, ISSN 1.4–2.2 (adolescent athletes).

Methods

• Narrative review compiling peer-reviewed studies published 2010–2024 on protein intake, metabolism, muscle recovery, and athletic performance in adolescent athletes.
• Studies identified via systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar using keywords such as "protein intake," "adolescent athletes," "muscle recovery," and "sports nutrition," supplemented by reference-list checking and examination of specialized sports nutrition/exercise science journals.
• Inclusion prioritized peer-reviewed work on adolescents aged 12–18 in structured training (systematic reviews, meta-analyses, clinical trials, observational studies) with quantitative protein data; adult/elderly-only studies, clinical populations (e.g., metabolic disorders), and studies lacking quantitative data were excluded. No formal risk-of-bias assessment tools were used; studies were judged on methodological transparency, statistical rigor, and relevance.

Limitations

• Stated by the paper: the review was restricted to peer-reviewed English-language studies, potentially introducing language bias; unpublished studies and gray literature were excluded, potentially narrowing the scope of findings. No formal risk-of-bias assessment tools were used.
• Evident from the text: despite the stated systematic search, the review is narrative rather than quantitative — no meta-analysis, no pooled effect sizes, and no standardized framework for personalized recommendations, which the authors themselves acknowledge as a gap (lack of consensus on optimal daily intake and distribution, unestablished safe upper limits for this population).
• Evident from the text: several sections (e.g., energy requirements, food supplements, creatine dosing) draw heavily on adult or pediatric-general evidence rather than adolescent-athlete-specific data, and some content (e.g., the statement on fetal protein requirements and gestational age) appears only tangentially relevant to the stated research questions.