Question

sarah is a 28-year-old woman who is 5 feet 6 inches tall and vigilantly maintains her weight at 115 pounds by following a lacto-ovo (nonfat milk and egg whites only) vegetarian diet that supplies approximately 1200 calories a day. with her understanding that protein should provide between 10 and 35 percent of her daily calories, she reasons that her daily intake of 35 grams of protein from milk, eggs, legumes, and nuts is adequate for her needs. she is concerned, however, that she has been sick more than usual and has experienced two stress fractures in her leg over the past three years while exercising. what is the protein rda per kilogram of healthy body weight?

Answer 1

Answer: To determine the protein RDA per kilogram of healthy body weight, we first need to calculate Sarah's healthy body weight. A commonly used method to calculate healthy body weight is the body mass index (BMI). The BMI formula is:

BMI = weight (kg) / height (m)^2

Converting Sarah's height to meters, we get:

Height = 5 feet 6 inches = (5 x 12) + 6 = 66 inches

Height in meters = 66 inches x 0.0254 meters/inch = 1.68 meters

Using the weight given in the problem, we can calculate Sarah's BMI as follows:

BMI = 115 pounds / (5.6 feet)^2 x (12 inches/foot)^2 x 703 = 18.6

A healthy BMI range is generally considered to be between 18.5 and 24.9, so Sarah's BMI is within the healthy range.

The protein RDA per kilogram of healthy body weight is 0.8 grams per kilogram. To calculate this for Sarah, we first need to convert her weight from pounds to kilograms:

Weight in kilograms = 115 pounds / 2.2 pounds/kg = 52.3 kg

Multiplying Sarah's weight in kilograms by the protein RDA per kilogram of healthy body weight, we get:

Protein RDA = 0.8 grams/kg x 52.3 kg = 42 grams

Therefore, the protein RDA per kilogram of healthy body weight for Sarah is 42 grams, which is higher than her current protein intake of 35 grams per day. This may be contributing to her health issues and stress fractures, and she may need to increase her protein intake to meet the recommended daily amount.