Evaluation of protein intake and protein quality in New Zealand vegans

dc.citation.issue4 April
dc.citation.volume20
dc.contributor.authorSoh BXP
dc.contributor.authorVignes M
dc.contributor.authorSmith NW
dc.contributor.authorVon Hurst PR
dc.contributor.authorMcNabb WC
dc.contributor.editorTomaszewska E
dc.date.accessioned2025-05-07T20:07:02Z
dc.date.available2025-05-07T20:07:02Z
dc.date.issued2025-04-16
dc.description.abstractDietary protein provides indispensable amino acids (IAAs) that the body cannot synthesise. Past assessments of total protein intake from vegan populations in western, developed countries were found to be low but not necessarily below daily requirements. However, plant-sourced proteins generally have lower quantities of digestible IAAs as compared to animal-sourced proteins. Simply accounting for protein intake without considering AA profile and digestibility could overestimate protein adequacy among vegans. This study quantified protein intake and quality, as compared to reference intake values among 193 NZ vegans using a four-day food diary. Protein and IAA composition of all foods were derived from New Zealand FoodFiles and the United States Department of Agriculture and adjusted for True Ileal Digestibility (TID). Mean protein intakes for males and females were 0.98 and 0.80g/kg/day, respectively with 78.8% of males and 73.0% of females meeting the Estimated Average Requirement for protein. Plant-sourced proteins provided 52.9mg of leucine and 35.7mg of lysine per gram of protein and were below the reference scoring patterns (leucine: 59mg/g, lysine: 45mg/g). When adjusted to individual body weight, average IAA intakes were above daily requirements, but lysine just met requirements at 31.0mg/kg of body weight/day (reference: 30mg/kg/day). Upon TID adjustment, the percentage of vegans meeting adequacy for protein and IAA decreased and only approximately 50% of the cohort could meet lysine and leucine requirements. Hence, lysine and leucine were the most limiting IAAs in the vegan cohort’s diet. Legumes and pulses contributed most to overall protein and lysine intake. An increased proportion of legumes and pulses can potentially increase these intakes but must be considered in the context of the whole diet. AA composition and digestibility are important aspects of protein quality when assessing protein adequacy and is of particular importance in restrictive diets.
dc.description.confidentialfalse
dc.identifier.citationSoh BXP, Vignes M, Smith NW, von Hurst PR, McNabb WC. (2025). Evaluation of protein intake and protein quality in New Zealand vegans. PLoS ONE. 20. 4 April.
dc.identifier.doi10.1371/journal.pone.0314889
dc.identifier.eissn1932-6203
dc.identifier.elements-typejournal-article
dc.identifier.numbere0314889
dc.identifier.urihttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/72872
dc.languageEnglish
dc.publisherPLOS
dc.publisher.urihttps://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0314889
dc.relation.isPartOfPLoS ONE
dc.rights(c) 2025 The Author/s
dc.rightsCC BY 4.0
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.titleEvaluation of protein intake and protein quality in New Zealand vegans
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.elements-id500594
pubs.organisational-groupOther
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