clear protein absorption rate (and what is a diaas score?)

by gramms

One of the factors that determines how effective protein supplementation is for lean muscle support, sports recovery and even blood sugar stabilization is how readily absorbed it is by the body. Different proteins, due to their different ingredient makeups, are absorbed at different rates; to make a more comprehensive benchmark for digestibility, there is a rating system called a DIAAS. 

DIAAS stands for Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score. It's a method used to evaluate the quality of dietary proteins by measuring the digestibility of indispensable amino acids (IAAs), which are the amino acids that the body cannot produce and must obtain from food.

Below, we've included a quick overview of the DIAAS scores for different protein sources:

  1. Animal Proteins: Generally, animal proteins like those found in meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products have high DIAAS scores because they contain all the indispensable amino acids in proportions similar to human needs. For example, eggs and whey protein often have high DIAAS scores. WPI (or whey protein isolate), for example, achieves a full 1 or above on the DIAAS scale (meaning 100% of the protein content is usable by the body post-digestion). 

  2. Plant Proteins: Plant proteins, on the other hand, can vary in their DIAAS scores. Some plant-based proteins, like those found in soybeans and quinoa, have relatively high DIAAS scores because they contain a good balance of indispensable amino acids. However, many other plant proteins have lower scores because they may lack one or more essential amino acids or have lower digestibility. Most plant proteins rank around a .7 on the DIAAS scale (meaning 70% of the protein content, on average, can be utilized by the body post-digestion).

In summary, DIAAS scores provide insight into the quality of dietary proteins based on their amino acid composition and digestibility; whey protein isolate ranks at the top of the list for digestibility, one of the reasons we chose it as the main ingredient in gramms clear protein drinks -- we want you getting a full 20g serving of usable protein.