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0 pointsthesz4mo ago0 comments

Lions can subsist on a diet of poultry, but suboptimally.

If we assume that lions' best diet is beef [1], then chicken [2] would be less optimal for them.

[1] https://tools.myfooddata.com/protein-calculator/171797/100g/...

[2] https://tools.myfooddata.com/protein-calculator/171140/wt9/1

Look at the amino acid ratios. Leucine to valine ratio is about 0.66 for chicken and 0.8 for beef. This means that protein synthesis will be bound by valine in case of chicken and what is not used in the protein synthesis will be converted to glucose and then stored as fat. Chicken will be about 80% (0.66/0.8) as nutritious as beef, judging just by two essential amino acids ratio.

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triceratops4mo ago

> If we assume that lions' best diet is beef

I was asking for a source for this assumption. Lions in the wild eat gazelles, giraffes, zebras, and buffalo, not cattle. I guess there isn't a great source so I'll leave it.

Dylan168074mo ago

What is not used in protein synthesis will be converted to glucose and then used to power their cells.

You're badly misusing that amino acid data.

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