PER: Protein Efficiency Ratio.
When you consume protein, the molecules are broken down into amino acids also referred as building blocks of protein. There are about 20 amino-acids that are constructed in a certain pattern to make human protein. Of these 20, eight are essential. The word essential would mean that they must be obtained through diet. Although you may obtain sufficient quantity of protein in your diet, the total quantity of the essential amino acids present may not be optimal. Non-availability of essential amino-acids leads to less than optimal assimilation and thus less protein efficiency.
For the above stated reasons protein is rated by means of protein efficiency ratio (PER). The PER of protein reflects its quality. While some foods can be classified as incomplete proteins (most of the vegetarian sources) others include all the essential amino acids , and are regarded as complete protein (eggs, milk, meat, and fish). Complete proteins have the highest PER and thus have the highest assimilation.
Vegetarians may not fret on the above issue, but rather try consuming protein from various sources so that the requirement of eight essential amino-acids is met with. For example, dieticians state that when it comes to consuming sprouts, several varieties be included to make it more complete. Consuming any one variety would not suffice, for it would not have all the eight essential amino-acids, but when a variety of sources are included chances are that you may workup to the required (8) numbers.
Vegetarian sources: Sprouts, dry nuts (the benefit of consuming dry nuts is twofold, for they provide protein and healthy fats too), milk, low fat cheese, legumes, and lentils.
Non-vegetarian sources: Eggs, fish, chicken, lamb, shrimps, and other sea foods.
Non-vegetarian sources: Eggs, fish, chicken, lamb, shrimps, and other sea foods.
PS: Dry nut sources: Almond, cashew, and walnut.
3 thoughts on “PER: Protein Efficiency Ratio.”
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Hi Vishwa,
Adding a few (actually a lot :-)) more details to what you have mentioned above:”PROTEIN” being further broken down to “AMINO ACIDS”.
Protein is made up of individual amino acids which are linked together ( A chain like structure) and are highly present in the muscle tissue.
The body actually breaks the protein down into its individual amino acids during digestion and re-assembles them into new proteins based on the bodies need.
Essential amino acids are the termed essential because the body cannot synthesize (prepare) them. Hence food is the source from where the body can obtain them.
Also as Vishwa has mentioned you cannot get away by just consuming one source of essential amino acid because for the body to synthesize new protein all essential amino acids must be present. Hence essential amino acids are known as “COMPLETE” protein.
Thats the reason I would always recommend to people when they ask me “what vegetables to eat?”:
Make sure you eat as much as variety of colours possible.
Now with above inputs I will just introduce another term “PROTEIN QUALITY RATING” before talking about “PER”
Protein quality rating: This would be the bodies ability to utilize protein for necessary function at the same time minimize amino acids wastage (wastage is due to amino acid oxidization in the body). Not all protein sources are 100% utilized.
Due to which arises the Protein Efficiency Ratio which has been the widely used protein rating methods.
Basically it is a calculation based on the body weight gained with respect to the amount of protein consumed.
Well this itself looks like a mini blog within your main blog :-)) or else I would have loved to add the Biological Value(BV) factor for Proteins too!!
Sujay
Cannot agree more, Sujay. Very well appreciated.
I hereby formally invite you to provide your inputs, Sujay. I would wish you to share the platform. If you are interested in any topic, I would be extremely glad to post it in the blog.
Since you have suggested about BV, you can as well write an entry based on that to start with.
Really good information. Thanks to you both. (Vishwa and Sujay)