Essential Amino Acids in Self-Selected Diets of Older Women

Abstract

With the use of microbiological methods, the average daily intakes of 7 essential amino acids were determined for 18 older women on self-selected diets. The levels of intake of isoleucine, leucine, lysine, threonine, and valine usually equaled or exceeded the recommended levels of Rose, whereas phenylalanine was intermediate and methionine intake seldom reached the recommended levels and in many cases was below the minimum level. Methionine appears to be the first limiting essential amino acid in the self-selected diets studied.