Amino acid score

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/amino-acid-score

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the nutritional assessment?Key component in determining protein quality, often combined with digestibility
2. Why do we need essential amino acids?Your body can’t make these nine special amino acids, so you need to eat foods that have them.
3. How is the amino acid score calculated?We compare the amount of each essential amino acid in the food to a reference protein, multiply by 100, and the lowest number becomes the score.

Indispensable Amino Acids: Synonymous with essential amino acids; those the body cannot synthesize and must obtain from the diet.
Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS): A method that adjusts the amino acid score by protein digestibility to estimate protein quality.
Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS): A newer, more precise metric for assessing protein quality based on ileal digestibility of indispensable amino acids.