How come we get 4 calories per gram of protein (which is composed my amino acids) but when we consume EEA supplements with similar amino acids profiles we get 0 calories?
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This depends on where you live, but if it’s the US (or a product from there possibly) it’s because they don’t count amino acid supplements as proteins. Since the amino acids aren’t linked together, they don’t get considered as proteins, and since they count the grams of protein to determine the calories, they get to say that there is 0 calories.
So in essence they’re just lying. The link below has a bit more info on 3 of the EAA’s, but the principle is similar for them all.
https://www.myoleanfitness.com/do-bcaas-have-calories/#:~:text=Simply%20put%2C%20if%20a%20product,So%20there%20you%20have%20it!
They do have calories. It’s just that the serving size is so small, they’re allowed to put zero calories on the label.
It’s like tic tacs. They’re literally pure sugar, but the label says zero calories.
Yes, those supplements are worth roughly 4 Cal per gram. Same metabolic pathways as if you were eating protein.
But, those metabolic pathways are narrow, especially for essential amino acids. If you convert EAA requirements to calorie equivalents, they’re each less than 1% of basal metabolic rate. Sure, your liver can probably detox several times more than the required intake (and recycle those contents to energy), but **EAAs themselves are more like vitamins than a useful energy source.**
BMR is about 20 Cal per kg of lean weight, equivalent to about 5,000 mg of protein. [EAA requirements here](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22243-amino-acids), but they’re typically 20-40mg.
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