Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Although dietary protein intake has received significant attention recently, research on dietary amino acid (AA) intake remains limited. Thus, this study aimed to estimate AA intake and food sources among Korean adults between 2010 and 2022. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, 69,664 adults aged 19 yrs or older were included. Essential AA (EAA), branched-chain AA (BCAA), and nonessential AA (NEAA) intakes were estimated. RESULTS: The average total AA intake over the past 13 yrs was 62.1 g/day, consisting of 24.8 g/day of EAAs (11.8 g/day of BCAAs) and 37.3 g/day of NEAAs. Leucine was the most commonly consumed EAA, while glutamic acid was the most consumed NEAA. Over the study period, total AA intake remained stable. However, total AA intake relative to body weight significantly decreased, whereas intake relative to total energy and protein intake significantly increased. Similar trends were observed for EAAs, BCAAs, and NEAAs (P for trend < 0.0001 for all). Meat and grains were the primary food sources of AAs, and the contribution of meat consistently increased (P for trend < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: While the total absolute AA intake has remained stable over the past 13 yrs, AA density relative to protein and energy intake has increased, accompanied by changes in individual AA intake over the past decade. These findings may inform future revisions of AA intake recommendations for Koreans and facilitate further research on the association between dietary AAs and various diseases.