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Leucine is one of the 8 essential amino acids that needs to be supplied from dietary sources. Evidences from several studies, on rats, suggest that leucine is involved in protein synthesis in the skeletal muscles. Leucine can also inhibit protein degradation in skeletal muscle and liver. Leucine is an important component of hemoglobin. Leucine rich food sources include legumes such as soy beans and cowpea and animal products such as beef and fish. Below is a list of select food sources that contain leucine and estimates of their leucine content. The foods are ordered high to low leucine content.
| Leucine food sources | Leucine content (grams/ 100 gram food) | | Soybeans, mature seeds, raw | 2.97 | | lentils, raw | 2.03 | | cowpea, catjang, mature seeds, raw | 1.83 | | Beef, round, top round, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8" fat, select, raw | 1.76 | | Beef, top sirloin, separable lean only, trimmed to 1/8" fat, choice, raw | 1.74 | | Peanuts, all types, raw | 1.67 | | Salami, Italian, pork | 1.63 | | Fish, salmon, pink, raw | 1.62 | | Crustaceans, shrimp, mixed species, raw | 1.61 | | Chicken, broilers or fryers, thigh, meat only, raw | 1.48 | | Nuts, almonds | 1.47 | | Egg, yolk, raw, fresh | 1.40 | | Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, raw | 1.37 | | Seeds, sesame butter, tahini, from raw and stone ground kernels | 1.36 | | Chicken, broilers or fryers, wing, meat and skin, raw | 1.29 | | flax seed, raw | 1.24 | | Nuts, walnuts, english | 1.17 | | Egg, whole, raw, fresh | 1.09 | | Egg, white, raw, fresh | 1.02 | | Sausage, Italian, pork, raw | 0.96 | | Milk, sheep, fluid | 0.59 | | Pork, fresh, separable fat, raw | 0.40 | | Hummus | 0.35 | | Milk, goat, fluid | 0.31 | | Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat | 0.27 | | Soy milk, fluid | 0.24 | | asparagus | 0.13 | | Snap beans, green, raw | 0.11 | | Milk, human, mature, fluid | 0.10 |
Food sources of protein: animal and vegetable protein sources and content.
Protein requirement: for kids, adults and pregnant and lactating women.
Soybean/tofu: nutritional value and health benefits
Essential and non essential amino acids: Definitions and Functions
L-Arginine: Food Sources, Health Benefits and Side Effects
Sources Garlick, P. J. The Role of Leucine in the Regulation of Protein Metabolism. J. Nutr. 135:1553S-1556S, 2005.
Data source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 19 (2006). |
