Biological Value: Protein Ratings

[Matt C]

How do our bodies use protein? Which sources are best, and which are not so good? Learn all about it here:

http://www.bodybuildingpro.com/proteinrating.html

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How can something score 104 or 159 on a theoretical maximum of 100% ?

[Matt C]

Originally Posted by Wazzup

How can something score 104 or 159 on a theoretical maximum of 100% ?

Hello! Excellent question.

The reason for this is because the 100% is actually the maximum bioavailability of a natural food source. When created in a lab, protein powders have a higher availability than any natural food sources.

In other words - 100% isn't actually 100% bioavailability, it's just the highest bioavailability of a natural food (actually less than 100%). It's only there for comparative purposes.

Originally Posted by Webmaster

Hello! Excellent question.

The reason for this is because the 100% is actually the maximum bioavailability of a natural food source. When created in a lab, protein powders have a higher availability than any natural food sources.

In other words - 100% isn't actually 100% bioavailability, it's just the highest bioavailability of a natural food (actually less than 100%). It's only there for comparative purposes.

Hello there,

Thanks for an interesting article. 159 = 1.59(100) and the 100 is scaled to symbolize a 94% absorption rate, according to the article. Therefore, 1.59(94%) = 149.46% absorption rate for whey protein isolate. How can this be? shouldn't 100% absorption be the highest possible rate?

Is this simply an error or is there much more to the story?

Also, should we recalculate our protein intakes with these factors in mind? For example, I was previously striving for 200g/day of protein intake, but much of it was from suboptimal sources. Should I recalculate my protein intake based on source?

Thanks again!
Alex

[Matt C]

Alex - I wish to thank you for your help. And you are correct.

I will consult with my university's e-library of journal articles for a reference on this. I suspect it was a typo and should be replaced with 109 (or something possible - since 109 doesn't add up as you pointed out).

Essentially you should strive for one gram of protein per pound of body weight each day. I have never heard of that referring to complete protein sources - in all likeliness they are referring to incomplete sources which would reduce the total amount of protein slightly (which would still be ideal for bodybuilding).

So, if you are taking in complete protein sources, you can eat less. I have never heard of the gram-per-pound-per-day rule to refer to complete sources from the many articles I've read on the topic.

Thank you again for your contribution, Alex.