Higher intakes of lysine, threonine and valine are inversely associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease risk: a community-based case-control study in the Chinese elderly

Abstract

The associations of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), aromatic amino acids (AAAs) and essential amino acids with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) risk have been widely investigated. However, the individual amino acid associated with NAFLD risk remained inconclusive. The present study aimed to investigate the associations between individual amino acid intake and NAFLD risk in the Chinese elderly.Methods: A community-based health check-up program was conducted from Mar. to Nov. 2020 in Qingdao, China. NAFLD was diagnosed by ultrasonography accompanied by epidemiological investigation. The dietary intakes of amino acids were investigated with 3-day, 24-hour dietary records and calculated by Nutrition Calculator software. The multivariable-adjusted logistic regression model was used to investigate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) between quartiles of amino acid intakes and NAFLD risk.Results: A total of 1328 participants, aged 65-96 years, participated in the health check-up program. Of these, 400 NAFLD subjects were identified, and 400 participants were randomly selected as controls and matched by gender and age (± 3 years), with a 1:1 case-to-control ratio. Compared the highest category with the lowest category, intakes of lysine (OR = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.32, 0.97), threonine (OR = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.32, 0.97), valine (OR = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.32, 0.96), aromatic amino acids (AAAs) (OR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.29, 0.93) were inversely associated with NAFLD risk after adjustment for potential confounding factors (all P for trend < 0.05). Dose-response analysis showed that 1000 mg increment of AAAs was associated with reduced 16% risk of NAFLD (OR = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.73, 0.96). Dietary increments of 750 mg/d threonine (OR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.66, 0.97), 950 mg/d valine (OR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.66, 0.98), or 1700 mg/d lysine (OR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.63, 1.00) were associated with a 20% reduction in the NAFLD risk (all P for linearity < 0.05).Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that higher intakes of lysine, threonine, valine and AAAs were associated with a lower NAFLD risk. Dietary increases in milk, eggs and deep-sea fish, which are rich in the amino acids mentioned above, might contribute to protecting against NAFLD in the elderly.

Serum metabolomic profiling unveils distinct sex-related metabolic patterns in NAFLD

“…It is reported that supplements of threonine for mice in a high-fat diet alleviated the onset of fat deposition ( 59 ). Of note, a community-based case-control study including senior Chinese aged over 65 years has showed that threonine, valine and lysine were negatively correlated with NAFLD risk and highlighted the potential beneficial effect of the increased consumption of food rich in those essential amino acids as eggs, milk and deep-sea fish ( 60 ).…”

A Novel Bifidobacterium longum ssp. longum Strain with Pleiotropic Effects

“…Threonine prevents fatty buildup in the liver and is one of the aminodetoxifiers. Li et al [ 33 ] found, in a community-based case-control study, that the consumption of lysine-, threonine-, and valine-rich foods helps to reduce nonalcoholic fatty liver disease risk in the elderly population.…”

Plasma Amino Acids in NAFLD Patients with Obesity Are Associated with Steatosis and Fibrosis: Results from the MAST4HEALTH Study

“…Previously, glutamic acid concentration was found to be altered in NAFLD, probably due to its involvement in glutathione formation and possibly connected to the severity of NAFLD [ 14 ]. It was recently found that greater threonine intake was inversely associated with NAFLD risk in elderly Chinese people [ 36 ]. In contrast, the current study found that higher plasma threonine concentrations were associated with higher MRI-cT1.…”