Layne Norton Gets It Wrong on Best Protein Sources for Longevity!

50,000 women. 30 years of follow-up. The results of a new study are in: learn the truth about how your protein intake will affect your long-term health. What kind of protein should you consume? How much? And what difference will it really make on longevity?

In Episode #318, I’m unpacking the results from the new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “Dietary protein intake in midlife in relation to healthy aging - results from prospective Nurses' Health Study cohort”. This new study from researchers at Harvard University and Tufts University has been regularly misinterpreted online, and in this episode, I’ll set the facts straight.

We cover:
Introduction to Protein and Longevity (00:00)
Study Overview and Methodology (01:24)
Key Findings on Protein Sources (05:33)
Lane Norton's Review and Critique (06:38)
Analysis of Different Protein Types (10:02)
Practical Recommendations for Protein Intake (18:47)
Conclusion and Final Thoughts (22:09)

If you have any additional questions you would like answered in the future, let me know in the comments.

Enjoy, friends.
Simon

This episode is brought to you by:

BON CHARGE

Momentous

Eimele

38TERA

WHOOP

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Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons)

[TheProofWithSimonHill]

Guys, if you enjoyed this video and want to see more study breakdowns like this please do two things for me. Click the thumbs up button and subscribe to the channel. Thanks!

[N]

I listened to this yesterday on Spotify, awesome breakdown!!
I really love your attitude with fact checking - no ego, respectful. The nutrition space really needs that, it can be so toxic for content creators.

[PlantChompers]

This is the best talk on protein I have ever heard. 👏💪🙏I am organizing a TEDx Longevity Day and need a talk on protein and longevity. I'm gonna see if one of these authors can give it, although you would give it better than almost anyone. 😎

[fooling]

I have known a lot of nurses and seen thousands and if they are a healthy group I need a new eye exam.

[rachaels]

Simon does such a good job of communicating scientific data. I love that he is so level-headed and unbiased in his interpretations. It means I can trust him. Thanks Simon!

[nikkiguerlain]

Your channel is my favorite channel by far. I really appreciate your even approach and lack of hype. Really enjoyed your book The Proof is in the Plants. Thank you!

[sssteviep]

I really enjoyed the video and your analysis. I’m not vegan I eat dairy and other animal products but I appreciate the truth. I’m a fan of Layne but he needs to respond to the things he either missed or didn’t represent properly. Thanks. ❤

[sherwinmoscow]

Great, balanced presentation. I also appreciated how you stuck with the facts--principles vs personalities. Thank you!

[danip]

I really loved your analysis. As a data analysis analyst, I must say, you really got the grasp on the study from head to toe. It is important to reflect numbers as they are...
I will follow you now!
5 🌟 to you!!

[JDuke-uwfk]

If Respectful Call-outs were an Olympic sport, Simon would be a gold medalist! I so hope Layne replies.

[lalonkarim]

I wish instead of lumping all the animal-proteins together, they would analyze poultry, red meat and fish separately. It is a possibility that fish has some positive effect on memory, and in this case we will not be able to know that.

[AlexanderMalyugin]

It is so great to see a healthy eating advocate who truly maintaince a stance of looking for the truth, without attachment for one way or another.

[mkmstillstackin]

Excellent analysis, review, and summary of the study, Simon! Your work is always thorough and of high quality.

[geejaybee]

What do isn't clear to me is the level of exercise this cohort typically did and whether that would impact the results in any way.
My wife is a nurse of 40+ years, my daughter is a nurse of 15 years and i worked in the NHS for 20 years. We know and have known so many nurses over the years and is there is one commonality amongst them all, especially that particular age group, is that exercise, particularly resistance exercise, was never prevalent amongst them. Indeed, the vast majority did zero "exercise" whatsoever.
Would an "exercise-heavy" cohort have the same results with the same dietary intakes?

[demonfedor]

When I saw the data on the screen I went right for p values and hazard ratios which immediately stuck out for plant protein. Knowing how to read studies and actually reading them makes a real difference compared to not knowing how and not properly reading them.

[evolved.health]

Thanks for the review Simon, very thorough, always good to hear more positions on the protein question. Although, Nurses Health Study, prospective epidemiology using food frequency questionnaires... quite poor data no matter how much you control / adjust for confounders. Recent mendellian randomisations, RCTs and systematic reviews using GRACE method show no associated with animal foods / red meat with many diseases.

[jimmypandolfo]

Hello Simon,
Thankyou for your work 👍
Being Vegan has been the best action I have ever and will ever do . Just proves that we humans do not need to eat animals for optimal health. Why should these animals be exploited, suffer and be killed when it’s not necessary for human health and survival! .

Take care
JP
Sydney, Australia 🇦🇺

[timothyvanpelt_cyclist]

A incredibly helpful breakdown Simon. Thank you and keep up the good work please! You and Gil (Nutrition Made Simple) are the best nuanced, science-based nutrition experts at the moment.

[raithneach]

This was really interesting and helpful. I like this format, the way you walk through the study step by step made it easier to grasp the important points.

[jimroth]

Yes, it is absolutely clear from the study that plant protein is way better than animal protein. However, your claim that people should eat more protein than the official medical guideline of .8 grams per kg of body weight is NOT clear from the study. The big benefits of moving from meat protein to plant protein might simply be due to avoiding the bad effects of meat.