Essential Amino Acid Supplement lowers Intrahepatic Lipid in Individuals with Alcohol Use Disorder

Abstract

Excess alcohol consumption has been ranked as a top risk factor for death and disability. Supervised treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) is unlikely for most individuals; fatty liver will likely develop and the risk of liver disease increases. Essential amino acid supplementation (EAAS) has been demonstrated to reduce intrahepatic lipid (IHL) in pre‐clinical and clinical trials for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to evaluate the influence of EAAS on IHL, body composition, and blood lipids in individuals with mild to moderate AUD. Following consent, determination of eligibility and medical screening, 18 young to middle‐aged participants were randomly assigned to a low dose (LD: 8 grams of EAAS BID) or high dose (HD: 13 grams of EAAS BID) group and consumed the supplement for 4 weeks. Pre‐ and post‐EAAS administration, IHL was determined using magnetic resonance imaging/spectroscopy, body composition was analyzed using dual energy x‐ray absorptiometry, and blood parameters were measured by LabCorp. T‐tests were used for statistical analysis and considered significant at P<0.05. While there was no change in IHL (Δ−0.1±0.0 %) in the LD group, there was a reduction in IHL (Δ−0.2±0.0 % water peak) in the HD group (p=0.02). Fat mass, lean tissue mass, bone mineral content, and blood lipids were not altered. Post‐EAAS phosphatidylethanol was unchanged and remained elevated in LD @ 422±224 ng/ml and HD @ 429±196 ng/ml, indicating chronic and excessive alcohol consumption. Based on these results, we suggest that 13 grams of EAAS may lower IHL in individuals with mild to moderate AUD and potentially provide additional opportunities for effective long‐term treatment.Support or Funding InformationResearch reported in this publication was supported by Essential Blends, LLC and by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) (P20GM103395) and the Biomedical Learning and Student Training Program (UL1GM118991, TL4GM118992, or RL5GM118990) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences under the National Institutes of Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.