Dietary intake of branched-chain amino acids in relation to general and abdominal obesity

Abstract Background There is no previous study that examined the association between branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) intake and odds of psychological disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between dietary BCAAs and odds of psychological disorders including depression, anxiety, and psychological distress in a large sample of Iranian adults. Methods In this cross-sectional study on 3175 Iranian adults aged 18–55 years, a validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary intakes. BCAAs intake was computed by summing up the amount of valine, leucine, and isoleucine intake from all food items in the questionnaire. Psychological health was examined through the use of Iranian validated version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Psychological distress was assessed using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). For depression and anxiety, scores of 8 or more on either subscale were considered as psychological disorders and scores of 0–7 were defined as “normal”. In terms of psychological distress, the score of 4 or more was defined as psychological distress. Results Mean age of study participants was 36.2 ± 7.8 years. Overall, 26.4% (n = 837) of study subjects had depression, 11.9% (n = 378) had anxiety and 20.9% (n = 665) were affected by psychological distress. After controlling for potential confounders, participants in the highest tertile of total BCAAs intake had lower odds of depression (OR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.60–0.96) and anxiety (OR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.47–0.91) compared with those in the lowest tertile. Participants in the top tertile of valine intake had a lower odds of depression (OR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.60–0.96) and anxiety (OR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.47–0.90) compared with those in the bottom tertile. A significant inverse association was also seen between leucine intake and depression (OR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.61–0.98) and anxiety (OR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.47–0.91). In addition, a significant inverse association was observed between isoleucine intake and odds of depression (OR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.59–0.95) and anxiety (OR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.45–0.86). There was no significant association between isoleucine intake and odds of psychological distress. Conclusion Evidence indicating an inverse association between dietary intake of BCAAs and odds of depression and anxiety was found. Prospective studies are required to confirm these findings.

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Association of dietary intake of branched-chain amino acids with long-term risks of cardiovascular disease, cancer and all-cause mortality

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980021004948 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-60

Author(s):

Binbin Xu ◽

Meng Wang ◽

Liyuan Pu ◽

Chang Shu ◽

Lian Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Amino Acids ◽

Dietary Intake ◽

The United States ◽

Branched Chain Amino Acids ◽

Dietary Intakes ◽

All Cause Mortality ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Branched Chain

Abstract Objectives: Studies on associations between dietary intake of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and long-term risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, and all-cause mortality have yielded inconclusive results. This study aimed to investigate the associations between dietary BCAA intake and long-term risks of CVD, cancer, and all-cause mortality in nationwide survey participants aged ≥18. Design: This was a prospective cohort study of a nationally representative sample of 14,397 adults aged ≥18 who participated in the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III). Dietary intakes of BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) were determined from the total nutrient intake document. The main outcomes were CVD, cancer, and all-cause mortality. Results: During 289,406 person-years of follow-up, we identified 4,219 deaths, including 1,133 from CVD and 926 from cancer. After multivariate adjustment, the hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of all-cause mortality in the highest dietary BCAA and isoleucine intake quintile (reference: lowest quintiles) were 0.68 (0.48–0.97) and 0.68 (0.48–0.97), respectively. Each one-standard-deviation increase in total dietary BCAA or isoleucine intake was associated with an 18% or 21% decrease in the risk of all-cause mortality, respectively. The serum triglyceride (TG) concentration was found to modify the association between the dietary BCAA intake and all-cause mortality (P for interaction = 0.008). Conclusions: In a nationally representative cohort, higher dietary intakes of BCAAs and isoleucine were independently associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality, and these associations were stronger in participants with higher serum TG concentrations.

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