Photo Credit: alex-mit

The following is a summary of “Circulating branched-chain amino acids and the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in the UK biobank,” published in the February 2025 issue of Frontiers in Endocrinology by Sun et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to analyze the association between circulating branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in a national population-based cohort. 

They analyzed data from the UK Biobank across 22 recruitment centers in the United Kingdom. This analysis included 266,840 participants with available BCAA data and no prior history of MACE at baseline. The Cox regression analysis was performed to investigate the associations while adjusting for potential confounders. 

The results showed that over a 13.80 ± 0.83-year follow-up, 52,598 participants experienced MACE, with the incidence rising across quintiles of circulating BCAAs, isoleucine, leucine, and valine. The highest quintile had a 7% to 12% greater MACE risk compared to the second quintile. In males, BCAAs showed no significant association with MACE risk, but isoleucine increased risk by 8% to 12% in higher quintiles, leucine by 9% in the first quintile and 6% in the fifth, and valine by 8% in the first quintile. In females, higher quintiles of BCAAs, isoleucine, leucine, and valine were linked to a 9% to 12% increased MACE risk. Among those under 65 years, BCAAs, isoleucine, and leucine were associated with higher MACE risk, whereas valine showed no significant link. No associations were found in participants aged 65 years and older. 

Investigators concluded that generally, higher BCAA levels were associated with increased MACE risk, except in older participants, and that in males, low leucine and valine levels were also linked with increased risk. 

Source: frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2025.1510910/full