The Association between Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Middle-Aged Caucasian Women Stratified According to Glycemic Status.

Justyna Kubacka,Grazyna Sypniewska,Paulina Cembrowska,Anna Stefanska

doi:10.3390/nu13103307

Justyna Kubacka, Grazyna Sypniewska + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13103307

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Journal: Nutrients	Publication Date: Sep 22, 2021
Citations: 10	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Nicolaus Copernicus University

Abstract

We examined the glycemic status-stratified relationships between total serum branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) concentrations and cardiometabolic risk factors in middle-aged Caucasian women. The study included 349 women divided into 2 subgroups: a normoglycemic group (NG, n = 184) and a dysglycemic group (DG, n = 165). Blood samples, anthropometric parameters, and blood pressure were measured. HOMA-IR, albumin-corrected calcium (CCa), and fatty liver index (FLI) were calculated. BCAA concentrations were higher in the women with dysglycemia. BCAAs moderately correlated with BMI and FLI in the NG group and with BMI, FLI, total calcium (TCa), CCa, HbA1c, TG/HDL-C, and HDL-C in the DG group. After adjusting for age and BMI, correlations for TCa, CCa, HbA1c, HDL-C, and TG/HDL-C remained significant. The coexistence of increased BCAAs with dysglycemic status was associated with markedly higher concentrations of TCa, CCa, HbA1c, and TG, which were not observed in the DG women with low level of BCAAs. Multiple regression showed that TCa or CCa, age and BCAAs were significantly associated with HbA1c independently of BMI only in the DG group. We conclude that dysglycemia in particular predisposes women to a significant relationship between total BCAAs and circulating calcium and HbA1c, and that these relationships are independent of BMI and may reflect the pathophysiological calcium-dependent mechanisms connecting BCAAs with metabolic disturbances.

Highlights

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) possess a branched aliphatic side chain in their structure
Because of previous evidence suggesting that the glycemic status of subjects may be related with the cardiometabolic effects of BCAAs, we aim to evaluate the association of total BCAA concentrations with selected cardiometabolic risk factors in women with normoglycemic and dysglycemic status
As calcium homeostasis plays a role in glucose and amino acid metabolism [14,15], as well as being recognized as a cardiometabolic risk factor [16], we examined the relationship between circulating calcium concentration and BCAAs in relation to glycemic status

Summary

Introduction

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) possess a branched aliphatic side chain in their structure. This group of amino acids includes leucine, isoleucine, and valine, which are components of proteins, and regulate many physiological processes in the human body [1]. BCAAs are mainly found in muscle tissue, constituting 14–18% of all amino acids that build the proteins of this tissue. It has been found that elevated levels of circulating BCAAs correlate with obesity, and an increased risk of insulin resistance (IR), and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in both human and animal models [6,7,8].

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