Understanding Dietary Protein Quality: Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Scores and Beyond.

ABSTRACT: Dietary protein quality refers to the capacity of a food to meet the human metabolic needs for essential amino acids (EAAs) and nitrogen. This is critical in low- and middle-income countries, where severe protein malnutrition occurs, and relevant in higher-income countries, where increasing dietary EAA intake may improve health and function. There are several methods to assess protein quality, each with different objectives. Chemical scoring metrics, like the digestible indispensable amino acid score, describe the EAA composition and digestibility of a protein source. However, these methods do not capture the metabolic activity of food-derived amino acids. Overreliance on a single metric leads to generic dietary recommendations lacking individual context. This review draws on chemical scor

SUBMITTER: Matthews JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12799415 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature