Serum amino acid concentrations are modified by age, insulin resistance, and BCAT2 rs11548193 and BCKDH rs45500792 polymorphisms in subjects with obesity

Background & aims: The amino acid profile of young adults is modified by sex, body mass index (BMI) and insulin resistance (IR). However, we do not know if age or the presence of specific polymorphisms in the genes of BCAT2 and BCKDH contribute to changes in the amino acid profile, especially in subjects with obesity. Therefore, we have evaluated the effect of age, the presence of IR and the polymorphisms of BCAT2 rs11548193 and BCKDH rs45500792 on the concentration of amino acids in subjects with obesity.& nbsp; & nbsp;Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted with 487 subjects with obesity. Participants underwent a physical examination in which their clinical history was obtained and a blood sample was taken for biochemical, hormonal, and DNA analysis.& nbsp; Results: Adults <30 years old with obesity had higher levels of alanine, arginine, aspartate, histidine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, serine and valine than adults >30 years old. Interestingly, regardless of age, we found that arginine, aspartate, serine decreased, while proline and tyrosine increased in the presence of IR; tyrosine and sum of branched-chain amino acids (PBCAA) were the amino acids that increased in the presence of BCAT2 rs11548193 and BCKDH rs45500792 polymorphisms.& nbsp; Conclusions: We found that the amino acid profiles of subjects with obesity are differentially modified by age, the presence of IR, and the presence of the BCAT2 rs11548193 and BCKDH rs45500792 polymorphisms.& nbsp; (C)& nbsp;2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Automated summary

The amino acid profile of subjects with obesity is differentially affected by age, insulin resistance, and specific gene polymorphisms. Young adults with obesity have higher levels of certain amino acids compared to older adults, and the presence of insulin resistance and specific gene polymorphisms can alter amino acid concentrations in this population.