Top 10 Foods Highest in Cystine (Cysteine)

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Top 10 Foods Highest in Cystine (Cysteine)

Cystine is the oxidized dimer form of the amino acid cysteine, and is considered nutritionally equivalent to cysteine. (3)

Among its many functions, cystine helps create anti-oxidants in the body (1), and can help with hair health. However, none of these claims are well established. (2)

High cystine foods include pork, beef, chicken, fish, lentils, oatmeal, eggs, low-fat yogurt, sunflower seeds, and cheese. (4) The reference dietary intake (RDI) for cystine is 4.1mg per kilogram of body weight or 1.9mg per pound. A person weighing 70kg (~154 pounds) should consume 287mg of cystine per day. (5)

Below is a list of the top 10 foods highest in cystine with the %RDI calculated for someone weighing 70kg (154lbs). For more high cystine foods see the extended list of cystine-rich foods.

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A printable list of high cystine foods including pork, beef, chicken, fish, lentils, oatmeal, eggs, low-fat yogurt, sunflower seeds, and cheese.

More Cystine Rich Foods

FoodServingCystine
1. Beef Liver 1 slice 135% RDI
(388mg)
2. Somen Noodles per cup 69% RDI
(199mg)
3. Teff per cup 61% RDI
(174mg)
4. Couscous per cup 59% RDI
(168mg)
5. Firm Tofu per cup 50% RDI
(144mg)
6. Crab Cakes per cake 50% RDI
(143mg)
7. Lima Beans per cup cooked 49% RDI
(141mg)
8. Carrots per cup chopped 21% RDI
(60mg)
9. Shiitake Mushrooms per cup cooked 14% RDI
(39mg)
10. Almond Butter per tblsp 13% RDI
(39mg)

About the Data

Data for the curated food lists comes from the USDA Food Data Central Repository.

You can check our data against the USDA by clicking the (Source) link at the bottom of each food listing.

Note: When checking data please be sure the serving sizes are the same. In the rare case you find any difference, please contact us and we will fix it right away.

About Nutrient Targets

Setting targets can provide a guide to healthy eating.

Some of the most popular targets include:
  • Daily Value (%DV) - The daily value (%DV) is a general guideline for consumption that will prevent deficiency of a particular nutrient in most people. The %DV refers to the percentage of an amount that\'s found in a single serving of a food. It also accounts for absorption factors. It is set by the U.S. FDA.
  • Recommended Dietary Allowance (%RDA) - The RDA sets an average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97.5%) healthy individuals. It\'s more specific than the daily value, and varies by age and gender. The RDA is set by the US National Institutes of Health.
  • Reference Dietary Intake (%RDI) -The reference dietary intake is similar to the recommended daily allowance, but is specific to age and gender. The RDI for amino acids is set by the U.N. World Health Organization.
  • Adequate Intake (%AI) - This value is primarily used in reference to omega-3 and omega-6 fats. The Adequate Intake is set by the U.S. Institute of Medicine. Because there is less evidence to determine the ideal targets for consumption of these nutrients, the specific amount is considered to be less reliable. Using the term Adequate Intake, rather than one of the other terms, helps to emphasize that the ideal intake of that particular nutrient has not yet been scientifically determined.

See the Guide to Recommended Daily Intakes for more information.

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Use the ranking tool links below to select foods and create your own food list to share or print.


View more nutrients with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

Data Sources and References

  1. Mechanisms underlying the cardioprotective effect of L-cysteine. Mol Cell Biochem. 2005 Sep;277(1-2):27-31.
  2. Effects of the Usage of l-Cysteine (l-Cys) on Human Health Molecules. 2018 Mar; 23(3): 575. Published online 2018 Mar 3. doi: 10.3390/molecules23030575
  3. Biochemical and Functional Evaluation of the Intramolecular Disulfide Bonds in the Zinc-Chelating Antimicrobial Protein Human S100A7 (Psoriasin). Biochemistry. 2017 Oct 31;56(43):5726-5738. doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00781. Epub 2017 Oct 19
  4. U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central
  5. World Health Organization (WHO) Technical Report Series – Protein And Amino Acid Requirements In Human Nutrition ISBN 978 92 4 120935 9
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