{ "dataset": "eaa-cost-by-brand", "title": "Essential Amino Acid (EAA) Supplements Compared — cost per gram of EAA", "sourcePage": "https://verifiedsupplementdata.com/essential-amino-acids/best-overall/", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "licenseUrl": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "attribution": "Verified Supplement Data (2026), EAA Cost Comparison", "dateModified": "2026-07-19", "methodology": "All 6 tracked products disclose total EAA grams per serving directly on their retail listing — no salt-conversion math needed. Products are ranked by costPerGram = price / totalGrams (totalGrams = servingsPerContainer x mgPerServing / 1000). costPer8gDose is reported because 8g is both this pack's primary ranking dose and the low end of typical retail daily dosing (8-10g/day). Bulk powder is 7x cheaper per gram than the priciest capsule product in this set (BulkSupplements Essential Amino Acids Powder (500 g, Unflavored) at $0.052/g vs Kion Aminos Essential Amino Acids Capsules (210 ct) at $0.366/g) — though the cheapest capsule product's tiny 1.2g labeled serving means an 8g effective dose takes roughly 7 servings (about 13 capsules). HONESTY NOTES (from the verified evidence pack, gates passed 2026-07-19): (1) Free-form EAAs stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS) more than an equivalent amount of intact protein, gram for gram (ISSN Position Stand 2023, PMID 37800468) — but that source carries extensive amino-acid-industry/patent conflicts of interest, disclosed in Sources, and its favorable claims should be read alongside independent negative-outcome trials (Godard 2002, PMID 12131252; De Andrade 2020, PMID 32079916). (2) Whey protein is roughly 45-50% EAA by weight and already delivers a complete, leucine-adequate amino acid profile — Bukhari 2015 (PMID 25827594) and Wilkinson 2018 (PMID 29031484) both found small EAA doses matched much larger whey doses for acute MPS in older women, meaning EAAs are largely redundant for anyone already eating adequate total protein. (3) MPS stimulation at rest occurs at relatively small doses (1.5-3g) and plateaus around 15-18g (ISSN Position Stand, PMID 37800468) — most retail servings (8-10g) sit inside this range. (4) The EAA-vs-BCAA edge is real but modest and time-limited: Moberg 2016 (PMID 27053525) found the EAA advantage over BCAA had closed by 180 minutes and attributed most of the effect to the BCAA fraction; Aguilera 2025 (PMID 41321015) found EAA and BCAA statistically equivalent on the primary whole-body-anabolism endpoint. (5) The most defensible real-world niche is older adults / anabolic resistance / clinical muscle-wasting, and even there the evidence is split (Paddon-Jones 2004, PMID 14583440, and Katsanos 2006, PMID 16507602, positive on acute MPS; Moro 2018, PMID 29796648, and Godard 2002, PMID 12131252, null on healthy-older-adult anabolic resistance and 12-week strength/size outcomes respectively). This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA; these products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.", "headline": { "productsCompared": 6, "cheapestPerGramBrand": "BulkSupplements", "cheapestPerGramProduct": "Essential Amino Acids Powder (500 g, Unflavored)", "cheapestPerGram": 0.052, "priciestPerGramBrand": "Kion", "priciestPerGram": 0.366, "powderVsCapsuleSpreadX": 7, "effectiveDoseG": 8, "typicalLowG": 8, "typicalHighG": 10, "note": "Ranked by cost per gram of EAA — never by commissions. Whey protein is already ~45-50% EAA by weight; for anyone eating adequate protein, a standalone EAA product is largely redundant." }, "columns": [ "brand", "product", "slug", "form", "mgPerServing", "servings", "totalGrams", "price", "costPerGram", "costPer8gDose", "scoopsOrCapsFor8g", "flavored", "certification" ], "units": { "mgPerServing": "mg EAA", "totalGrams": "g EAA", "price": "USD", "costPerGram": "USD/g", "costPer8gDose": "USD per 8g dose" }, "citations": [ { "claim": "Position stand (10 numbered conclusions): \"Free-form EAA ingestion stimulates MPS more than an equivalent amount of intact protein.\" \"At rest, stimulation of MPS occurs at relatively small dosages (1.5-3.0 g) and seems to plateau at around 15-18 g.\" Extensive industry/patent COI disclosed by lead authors — read as industry-adjacent expert consensus, not a neutral finding.", "source": "Ferrando AA, Wolfe RR, et al. (ISSN), 2023, J Int Soc Sports Nutr", "pmid": "37800468" }, { "claim": "RCT, n=8 older women: 20g whey protein (WP) and 3g leucine-enriched EAA (LEAA) equally stimulated muscle protein synthesis at rest and after exercise — \"bolus WP offers no trophic advantage over LEAA.\" COI: co-author affiliated with Ajinomoto (amino-acid manufacturer).", "source": "Bukhari SS, et al. 2015, Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab", "pmid": "25827594" }, { "claim": "RCT, n=24 older women, 3 arms (1.5g LEAA / 6g LEAA / 40g whey): all three stimulated MPS similarly at 0-2h — \"LEAA_1.5, despite only providing 0.6 g of leucine, robustly (perhaps maximally) stimulated MPS, with negligible trophic advantage of greater doses of LEAA or even to 40 g WP.\" Same Ajinomoto-affiliated co-author.", "source": "Wilkinson DJ, Bukhari SSI, et al. 2018, Clin Nutr", "pmid": "29031484" }, { "claim": "RCT crossover, n=8 trained volunteers: EAA produced the largest 90-min anabolic-signaling response (Placebo