Analyzing the diets of vegans, scientists have concluded that most of them consume a sufficient amount of protein, but do not receive all the essential amino acids, which are not produced in the human body. This is due to the fact that essential amino acids in plant proteins are absorbed worse than in animal proteins, so scientists emphasize that it is important to monitor not only the sufficient amount of protein in the diet, but also its quality. Research published in the journal PLOS One.
New Zealand scientists studied the diets of nearly 200 people who had been completely vegan for at least two years. They analyzed the total protein content, as well as the amino acid content and their availability for absorption in the ileum. As it turned out, almost 80 percent of men and 73 percent of women received their daily protein intake from their diets. Of the nine essential amino acids, leucine and lysine were the most difficult to obtain from a vegan diet: their content per gram of protein was 53 milligrams and 36 milligrams, respectively, which is lower than the average for animal proteins — 59 and 45 milligrams.
When the researchers calculated the amount of amino acids consumed by the people, they found that they barely met their daily lysine requirements, consuming 31 milligrams of the amino acid per kilogram of body weight, compared to the recommended 30 milligrams. And considering the availability of essential amino acids in plant proteins, the researchers found that only half of vegans were getting enough of them. The best sources of lysine and leucine, which were the lowest in vegan diets, were legumes, so increasing their intake could help meet the daily requirement for essential amino acids.
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