Serum Branched-Chain Amino Acids and Long-Term Complications of Liver Cirrhosis: Evidence from a Population-Based Prospective Study

The role of serum branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) in long-term liver cirrhosis complication events remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the associations between serum BCAAs and the risk of liver-related events.

We included a total of 64,005 participants without liver cirrhosis complication events at baseline from the UK Biobank. Cox proportional hazards regression models were utilized to estimate multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for the incidence of liver cirrhosis complication events, adjusting for potential confounders, including sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. Relationships between serum BCAAs and liver cirrhosis complications were examined using nonparametrically restricted cubic spline regression.

During a median follow-up of 12.7 years, 583 participants developed liver cirrhosis complication events. The multivariable Cox regression model suggested that total BCAAs (HR  =  0.88, 95% CI 0.82-0.95), serum leucine (HR  =  0.88, 95% CI 0.81-0.95), serum isoleucine (HR  =  0.88, 95% CI 0.82-0.96), and serum valine (HR  =  0.87, 95% CI 0.82-0.96) were all independent protective factors for liver cirrhosis complications after adjustment for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. Cox models with restricted cubic splines showed U-shaped associations between serum valine and liver cirrhosis complication incidence. Serum total BCAA and isoleucine concentrations might reduce the risk of liver cirrhosis complications by raising the risk of (type 2 diabetes mellitus) T2DM.

Lower serum BCAA levels exacerbate the long-term risk of liver cirrhosis complications. Future studies should confirm these findings and identify the biological pathways of these associations.