Branched-chain Amino Acids and Relationship with Inflammation in Youth with Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Intervention Study

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-1-2021

Abstract

Context: Elevated concentrations of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) are strong predictors of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Their association with cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains uncertain, particularly in youth. Objective: We investigated the role of BCAA and aromatic amino acids (AAA) in obesity, their relationships with novel biomarkers of CVD, and response to a physical activity-based lifestyle intervention (PAL-I) in a randomized controlled study in youth with normal weight (NW) and obesity (OB). Methods: Age (14-18 years) and Tanner stage (≥IV) matched youth (OB, n = 15 and NW, n = 6) were studied; the 15 participants with OB underwent a 3-month randomized controlled PAL-I. Circulating amino acid profile, glucose, insulin, lipids, adiponectin, retinol binding protein-4, fibrinogen, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and 25-hydroxy vitamin-D, along with body composition, were measured at baseline and after PAL-I. Independent t tests, analysis of covariance, and mixed-effect models were used for analysis of the data. Results: Compared with NW, the concentration of various amino acids, including BCAA and AAA, were altered in OB (P < 0.05). BCAA and AAA showed baseline correlations with body composition and novel biomarkers of CVD, particularly inflammatory factors (all P < 0.05). The PAL-I produced only negligible effects (P > 0.05) on BCAA and AAA. Glutamine, glycine, and aspartic acid decreased with PAL-I (all P < 0.05). Conclusion: The novel finding of the BCAA-inflammation relationship, along with strong correlations with nontraditional biomarkers of CVD, may raise the prospect of BCAA as a biomarker of CVD and evoke a potential link between obesity, T2DM, and CVD.

Publication Title

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism

Volume

106

Issue

11

First Page

3129

Last Page

3139

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1210/clinem/dgab538

ISSN

0021972X

E-ISSN

19457197

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