Relationship between Branched-Chain Amino Acids, Metabolic Syndrome, and Cardiovascular Risk Profile in a Chinese Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

Table 1

Characteristics of the study participants according to BCAAs quartiles ().

Characteristics	BCAAs (μg/mL)
	I	II	III	IV	⁢ value
	(<62.06, )	(62.06–70.01, )	(70.02–79.57, )	(≥79.57, )	Unadjusted	Adjusted by age and gender
Male, (%)	20.9	34.1	38.2	46.9	<0.001	—
Age (years)	57.88 ± 6.14	59.06 ± 6.09	59.93 ± 5.67	59.05 ± 5.98	0.001	—
Current smoking, (%)	18.8	17.6	18.2	17.22	0.054	—
Alcohol use, (%)	16.9	16.1	17.5	18.42	0.764	—
Diabetes, (%)	9.2	12.31	17.21	26.41	<0.001	<0.001
History of hypertension, (%)	28.9	34.41	35.12	36.2	<0.001	—
Administration of ACEI or ARBs, (%)	6.52	5.81	6.11	7.02	0.234	—
WC (cm)	80.67 (67.78, 92.5)	83.05 (69.87, 98.5)	84.77 (69.99, 102.20)	85.71 (69.20, 105.66)	<0.001	<0.001
BMI (kg/m^2)	23.88 ± 3.05	24.26 ± 3.09	25.04 ± 3.11	24.99 ± 2.99	<0.001	<0.001
SBP (mmHg)	139.86 ± 20.54	139.44 ± 18.04	140.27 ± 20.81	139.98 ± 19.83	0.987	—
DBP (mmHg)	84.55 ± 13.10	83.70 ± 14.62	83.89 ± 15.51	83.62 ± 13.57	0.875	—
FPG (mg/dL)	5.26 (3.52, 17.26)	5.35 (4.01, 15.23)	5.49 (4.02, 19.77)	5.76 (3.46, 18.27)	<0.001	<0.001
HbA1c (%)	5.90 (4.20, 12.50)	5.90 (4.61, 13.11)	5.90 (4.30, 11.80)	6.00 (4.90, 12.51)	<0.001	<0.001
TC (mmol/L)	5.26 ± 0.93	5.13 ± 0.83	5.10 ± 0.83	5.22 ± 0.86	0.15	—
TG (mmol/L)	1.49 (0.50, 7.44)	1.70 (0.63, 6.40)	1.77 (0.58, 19.61)	2.00 (0.72, 16.42)	<0.001	<0.001
HDL-C (mmol/L)	1.43 (0.69, 4.78)	1.29 (0.71, 5.20)	1.26 (0.72, 5.19)	1.21 (0.66, 6.04)	<0.001	<0.001
LDL-C (mmol/L)	2.79 ± 0.76	2.70 ± 0.66	2.72 ± 0.69	2.77 ± 0.70	0.301	—
UA (mg/dL)	258.23 ± 68.76	281.40 ± 74.05	284.58 ± 81.56	303.00 ± 83.90	<0.001	—
Serum creatinine (mg/dL)	0.73 (0.43, 1.23)	0.76 (0.47, 1.24)	0.77 (0.49, 1.22)	0.82 (0.43, 1.25)	<0.001	—
eGFR (mL/min/1.73 m^2)	96.88 ± 21.32	94.95 ± 16.50	95.09 ± 19.38	94.79 ± 20.34	0.334	—
BCAAs (μg/mL)	56.91 ± 8.57	66.45 ± 9.52	73.89 ± 8.97	87.06 ± 9.62	<0.001	<0.001
L-Leu (μg/mL)	20.54 ± 2.57	24.42 ± 2.07	27.60 ± 2.36	33.45 ± 4.13	<0.001	<0.001
L-Ile (μg/mL)	10.22 (5.63, 14.42)	11.97 (8.66, 25.07)	13.54 (9.39, 18.84)	16.42 (11.66, 24.23)	<0.001	<0.001
L-Val (μg/mL)	25.02 (11.04, 33.84)	30.20 (22.49, 37.50)	33.13 (25.78, 44.36)	38.48 (28.34, 56.66)	<0.001	<0.001
MS components 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (%)	19, 29, 25, 16, 9, and 1	13, 28, 24, 23, 11, and 2	8, 22, 29, 23, 15, and 3	7, 17, 20, 30, 20, and 6	<0.001	<0.001
CVD risk score (%)	10.00 (1.50, 30.00)	13.71 (2.00, 30.00)	15.90 (1.70, 30.00)	18.4 (2.00, 30.00)	<0.001	<0.001
High Framingham CV risk score, (%)	18.50	34.20	38.82	44.44	<0.001	<0.001

Notes. Data were presented as means (±SD) or median with range (minimum, maximum) as appropriate, and categorical variables are expressed as number (%). Means and proportions were compared by ANOVA, Fisher’s exact test, and the chi-square test, respectively. values testing the overall difference among BCAAs quartiles. BCAAs: branched-chain amino acids; ACEI: angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor; ARBs: angiotensin receptor blockers; MS: metabolic system; CVD: cardiovascular disease; WC: waist circumference; BMI: body mass index; SBP: systolic blood pressure; DBP: diastolic blood pressure; HDL-C: high density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C: low density lipoprotein cholesterol; FPG: fasting plasma glucose; HbA1c: hemoglobin A1c; TG: triglycerides; TC: total cholesterol; UA: uric acid; e-GFR: estimated glomerular filtration rate; L-Leu: L-leucine; L-Ile: L-isoleucine; and L-Val: L-valine. Definitions of hypertension, diabetes, and MS were in Materials and Methods. International system of units (SI) conversion: plasma glucose 1 mg/dL = 1/18 mmol/L; SUA 1 mg/dL = 59.5 mmol/L; and serum creatinine 1 mg/dL = 88.41 mol/L.