Serum Amino Acids Patterns and 4-Year Sarcopenia Risk in Community-Dwelling Chinese Older Adults

Dietary protein intake and serum amino acids (AAs) are factors controlling the rate of muscle protein synthesis and catabolism. This study examined the association between serum AAs patterns and incident sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults.

Chinese older adults in Hong Kong aged ≥65 years attended a health check at baseline and 4-year follow-up. At baseline, fasting blood was collected to measure 17 serum AAs. Serum AAs patterns were identified using principal component analysis. Dietary protein intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. A composite score was computed by summing the principal component score and sex-standardized protein intake. Six composite scores representing each AAs pattern were available for each participant. Sarcopenia was defined using the updated version of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. Crude and adjusted multiple logistic regressions were performed to examine the associations between each of the 6 composite scores and sarcopenia over 4 years. Results are presented as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). To address multiple testing, a Bonferroni correction was applied using a corrected significance level of p < 0.008 (α 0.05/6 patterns).

Data of 2,610 participants (mean age 71.6 years, 45.4% men) were available. In men, serum AAs patterns characterized by high branched-chain AAs (BCAAs) (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.69-0.87, p < 0.001) and tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.71-0.89, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with a lower risk of sarcopenia over 4-year follow-up. After adjusting for confounders, the associations were no longer significant. In women, serum AAs patterns characterized by glutamine, glutamic acid, and methionine (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.11-1.47, p = 0.001) and arginine, taurine, and serine (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.06-1.35, p = 0.003) were associated with a higher risk of sarcopenia. After adjusting for confounders, serum AAs pattern characterized by high BCAAs (adjusted OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.25-1.86, p < 0.001) and arginine, taurine, and serine (adjusted OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.09-1.56, p = 0.004) were significantly associated with a higher risk of sarcopenia. No association between other AAs patterns with incident sarcopenia was found.

In community-dwelling Chinese older adults, serum AAs patterns characterized by high BCAAs and nonessential AAs (arginine, taurine, and serine) were associated with a higher risk of sarcopenia in women. Findings may allow identifying new targets for interventions.