Autor: |
Lo EKK; School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong 999077, China., Felicianna; School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong 999077, China., Xu JH; Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking University First Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100034, China., Zhan Q; Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking University First Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100034, China., Zeng Z; Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking University First Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100034, China., El-Nezami H; School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong 999077, China.; Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland. |
Abstrakt: |
Chronic liver diseases pose a substantial health burden worldwide, with approximately two million deaths each year. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)-valine, leucine, and isoleucine-are a group of essential amino acids that are essential for human health. Despite the necessity of a dietary intake of BCAA, emerging data indicate the undeniable correlation between elevated circulating BCAA levels and chronic liver diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD), cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Moreover, circulatory BCAAs were positively associated with a higher cholesterol level, liver fat content, and insulin resistance (IR). However, BCAA supplementation was found to provide positive outcomes in cirrhosis and HCC patients. This review will attempt to address the contradictory claims found in the literature, with a special focus on BCAAs' distribution, key signaling pathways, and the modulation of gut microbiota. This should provide a better understanding of BCAAs' possible contribution to liver health. |