# The Association Between Dietary Intake of Aromatic Amino Acids and Metabolic Syndrome

## TL;DR

This study found that higher intake of aromatic amino acids, especially from animal sources, is linked to a higher risk of metabolic syndrome, particularly in obese individuals.

## Contribution

The study reveals a novel association between dietary aromatic amino acids from animal sources and increased metabolic syndrome risk in obese individuals.

## Key findings

- Higher intake of total aromatic amino acids was associated with a 28% increased risk of metabolic syndrome.
- Animal-source aromatic amino acids showed a 30% increased risk of metabolic syndrome in obese individuals.
- Plant-source aromatic amino acids were not significantly linked to metabolic syndrome risk.

## Abstract

The present study aimed to explore the association between dietary sources of aromatic amino acids (AAAs) from both animal and plant sources and the risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MetS).

The primary goal of this research was to examine how the intake of AAAs correlates with the incidence of MetS.

The current prospective observational study was conducted on collected data from 4920 adult individuals aged between 19 and 74 years, participants from Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. Dietary data and usual intake of AAAs such as phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan were calculated using a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire.

In this study, median intakes of AAAs were 5.9 g/d (IQR: 4.7–7.4 g/d), which corresponded to 2.8 g/d (2.2–3.4 g/d) of animal sources and 2.5 g/d (1.8–3.2 g/d) of plant sources. An increased intake of total AAAs (HR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.57) and AAAs from animal sources (HR: 1.30 and 95% CI: 1.03, 1.65) was positively linked to a higher risk of MetS, even after controlling for confounding variables. In different strata of BMI, the risk of MetS was positively associated with MetS only in obese subjects in the highest tertile of total AAAs intake (HR: 1.36 and 95% CI: 1.02–1.87) and for AAAs from animal sources (HR: 1.16 and 95% CI: 1.09–2.12). Nevertheless, none of the three BMI groups showed a statistically significant association between incident MetS and AAAs from plant sources. Also, no significant interactions were found between sex and AAAs intake and its constituents on MetS risk.

The intake of AAAs, particularly from animal sources, was positively associated with the risk of MetS, especially in obese individuals. However, more studies are needed in this area.