Protein is a dietary macronutrient you require for muscle maintenance and metabolism. A protein is made up of various amino acids, one of which is lysine. Oatmeal contains all of the essential amino acids your body needs, making it a complete protein. It also has the highest amount of protein per serving of all the commonly eaten grains.
Protein Content
Unprocessed oats contain the more protein per serving than processed oats. According to the USDA, a 100-gram serving of raw oats contains 16.9 grams of protein. This amount significantly drops if you eat processed forms like quick cooking or instant oats. While the latter type of oats have fewer calories and saturated fats, quick oats only contain 2.5 grams of protein in a 100-gram serving, and fortified instant oats have 7.8 grams. Adding fruits or other toppings to your oats may increase the protein content.
Lysine Content
The USDA does not break down protein content in food into its compositional amino acids, so there is little information available on precisely how much lysine is present in a single serving of oats. A 2004 examination of horse feeds by Dickinson State University revealed that lysine constitutes roughly 0.40 percent of raw oats. This would mean that 100 grams of whole oats contain around 400 mg of lysine. Processing may decrease lysine content.
Health Benefits
Consuming oatmeal regularly as a source of protein and the amino acid lysine can be significantly beneficial to your health. Registered dietitian Katie James recommends oatmeal with skim milk as a breakfast or pre-workout meal for athletes because its protein, carbohydrate and high fiber content will give you the fuel you need for effective exercise. Apart from muscle building, lysine may potentially prevent herpes outbreaks and improve calcium absorption for the prevention or treatment of osteoporosis.
Dietary Intake
Your daily requirement for protein and lysine vary depending on your weight. For an adult who does not exercise regularly, a protein intake of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight is sufficient. The World Health Organization recommends that 45 milligrams of every protein gram you eat come from lysine. A 150-pound person would therefore require 54.4 grams of protein per day and 2,448 milligrams of lysine. A 100-gram bowl of whole oats without any additives would be more than 30 percent of your daily protein and 16 percent of your lysine requirement.
References
- Healthaliciousness.com: Side By Side Nutrition Facts Comparison for Oats, Quick Oats and Instant Oats
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Lysine; David Zieve, M.D., M.H.A., et al.; July 2010
- New York University Langone Medical Center: Lysine
- University of Nebraska; Nutrition -- The Competitor's Edge; Katie James, M.S., R.D., L.M.N.T.; 2010
- North Dakota University; Yearling Horse Growth and Development - Acceptability and Replacement Value of Field Peas for Oats; D.G. Landblom, et al.; 2004
- University of Nebraska; Oatmeal; February 2009
- World Health Organization; Protein and Amino Acid Requirements in Human Nutrition; 2007
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