Amino acid requirements

Hi team at Huel, I would just like to point out that the RDA figures you use for amino acids for a 70kg adult are EARs (estimated average requirements). To get the PRIs (population reference intakes) you multiply the EARs by 1.24. I got this information from Protein and Amino Acid Requirements in Human Nutrition WHO/FAO/UNU https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/43411/WHO_TRS_935_eng.pdf

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Hey (great name by the way!), thanks for pointing this out. We’ve had a discussion amongst the nutrition team and we can’t quite decide what we want to go ahead with.

The PRIs cover a greater percentage of the population (which I presume is why you’ve raised this) but EARs are also often used.

I’ll keep you posted on what our decision is.

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https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technology-magazine/issues/2012/january/columns/perspective"The RDA has a 97.5% probability of adequacy and is designed to be a target nutrient intake for individuals (EAR has only a 50% probability of adequacy). The RDA has a potential benefit (higher prevalence of adequate intakes) as opposed to the potential risk that a population-average EAR poses (higher prevalence of inadequate intakes), and thus is the most appropriate value to cover the majority of the population. "

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Quick update for you. We’re going to change the figures on site to PRIs. This is in line with what we use for vitamins and minerals too.

The changes won’t be visible till around March because of ongoing projects, but it is on our to do list.

Thanks for spotting, you’re the first person to make a comment on this in 6 and a half years!

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Thanks. :slight_smile: What’s more, on this Wiki page they use EARs and PRIs for WHO and USA recommendations, respectively: Essential amino acid - Wikipedia

This is particularly relevant to vegetarians and vegans when evaluating the Lysine content in their diets, which is often lower than required.

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Great point! Hopefully we’ve got the balance right between providing good quality information and not overloading people at the same time.

Generally, governments use protein requirements and assume that if an individual is meeting that, they are also meeting their amino acid requirements but that’s becoming trickier to support with more people adopting plant-based diets and regularly gym training.

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I love that Huel team listen to feedback. :+1:t4: And honestly I learn a lot about nutrition etc. just by browsing said feedback on these discussion forums, so that’s always cool.

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