Cardiovascular Risk Incidence Predicting Blood Test Developed
Circulating branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs; isoleucine, leucine, and valine) are strong predictors of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), but their association with cardiovascular disease (CVD) is uncertain. Now, in a new study, researchers of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital hypothesized that plasma BCAAs are positively associated with CVD risk and evaluated whether this was dependent on an intermediate diagnosis of T2D.
“We examined more than 27,000 women in the Women’s Health Study and found that a one-time measurement of branched chain amino acids in the blood stream – a test that now can be easily done – predicted future risk of cardiovascular events to the same extent and independent of LDL cholesterol and other risk factors,” said corresponding author Samia Mora, MD, of the Center for Lipid Metabolomics at BWH. “This was particularly so for women who developed type 2 diabetes prior to their cardiovascular disease.”
In the course of their investigation, the team of researchers measured BCAA levels in blood samples using NMR spectrometry. Of the more than 27,000 women studied, 2,207 experienced a cardiovascular event over the 18 year follow up period.
They noticed an association between BCAA levels and incident
of CVD events. This association was much more pronounced in women who developed diabetes before experiencing a cardiovascular event.The researchers then adjusted for other biomarkers related to diabetes – including hbA1c – finding evidence that BCAAs may be tied to downstream biomarkers of type 2 diabetes metabolism.
“Impaired BCAA metabolism may represent a shared pathway of the metabolic pathophysiology that links the risks of T2D and CVD,” the authors conclude.
“There is little known at this time as to what leads to elevated levels of BCAAs or what can be done clinically to reduce them, and if this leads to a reduction in risk, but further research will target these important questions,” said Tobias.
