Dietary intake of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), serum BCAAs, and cardiometabolic risk markers among community-dwelling adults

To investigate the associations between dietary/serum branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and cardiometabolic risk markers.

In a cohort of 2791 participants, diet and cardiometabolic risk markers were measured twice at baseline in overall participants and after 1-year in a subset of 423 participants. We assessed serum BCAAs at baseline and arterial stiffness after 1-year. The cross-sectional associations between dietary/serum BCAAs and cardiometabolic risk markers were analyzed using baseline measurements by linear regression, while the 1-year longitudinal association were analyzed using repeated measurements by linear mixed-effects regression.

Higher BCAA intake from poultry was associated with lower triglycerides (β=-0.028, P = 0.027) and higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, β = 0.013, P = 0.006), while BCAAs in red and processed meat or fish were inversely associated with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (β = 0.025, P = 0.001) and total cholesterol (β = 0.012, P = 0.033), respectively. BCAAs in whole grains and nuts were associated with higher HDL-C (β = 0.011, P = 0.016), and lower TG (β=-0.021, P = 0.041) and diastolic blood pressure (β=-0.003, P = 0.027). Also, BCAAs from soy or vegetables and fruits were inversely associated with arterial stiffness (β=-0.018, P = 0.047) and systolic blood pressure (β=-0.011, P = 0.003), respectively. However, BCAAs in refined grains were positively associated with triglycerides (β = 0.037, P = 0.014). Total serum BCAAs were unfavorably associated with multiple cardiometabolic risk markers (all P < 0.05).

Dietary BCAAs in poultry, whole grains and nuts, soy, and vegetables and fruits may be favorably, while BCAAs in red and processed meat, fish, and refined grains were unfavorably associated with cardiometabolic health. Serum BCAAs showed a detrimental association with cardiometabolic risk markers.