Abstract
Background
Liver cirrhosis induces marked metabolic disorders, protein-energy malnutrition, and sarcopenia. The objective of the study reported here was to investigate the effects of dietary branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) on systemic glucose metabolism, skeletal muscle, and prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis.
Methods
Japanese patients with liver cirrhosis (n = 21) were enrolled into a longitudinal study in which their diets were supplemented with BCAAs. We evaluated glucose metabolism and analyzed the skeletal muscle area index (SAI) and intramuscular adipose tissue content (IMAC) using computed tomography.
Results
After 48 weeks of supplementation with BCAAs, there were no changes in glucose metabolism and skeletal muscle findings. In patients with ameliorated hypoalbuminemia, IMAC was significantly decreased and SAI was preserved concomitant with decreasing 90- and 120-min post-challenge plasma glucose levels (P < 0.01 each). In patients without increased albumin levels, IMAC was significantly increased and the SAI was significantly decreased (P < 0.01 each). Liver-related event-free survival rates for 72 months were 63.6% in patients with decreased IMAC and 20.0% in patients with increased IMAC.
Conclusions
Amelioration of hypoalbuminemia associated with BCAA supplementation correlated with decreased fat accumulation in skeletal muscle, maintenance of skeletal muscle mass, and improved glucose sensitivity, all factors which may contribute to improving the survival of patients with liver cirrhosis.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Gross CR, Malinchoc M, Kim WR, et al. Quality of life before and after liver transplantation for cholestatic liver disease. Hepatology. 1999;29:356–64.
Marchesini G, Bianchi G, Merli M, et al. Nutritional supplementation with branched-chain amino acids in advanced cirrhosis: a double-blind, randomized trial. Gastroenterology. 2003;124:1792–801.
Muto Y, Sato S, Watanabe A, et al. Effects of oral branched-chain amino acid granules on event-free survival in patients with liver cirrhosis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2005;3:705–13.
Plauth M, Merli M, Kondrup J, et al. ESPEN guidelines for nutrition in liver disease and transplantation. Clin Nutr. 1997;16:43–55.
Greco AV, Mingrone G, Benedetti G, et al. Daily energy and substrate metabolism in patients with cirrhosis. Hepatology. 1998;27:346–50.
Tajika M, Kato M, Mohri H, et al. Prognostic value of energy metabolism in patients with viral liver cirrhosis. Nutrition. 2002;18:229–34.
Moriwaki H, Miwa Y, Tajika M, et al. Branched-chain amino acids as a protein- and energy-source in liver cirrhosis. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2004;313:405–9.
Hidaka H, Nakazawa T, Kutsukake S, et al. The efficacy of nocturnal administration of branched-chain amino acid granules to improve quality of life in patients with cirrhosis. J Gastroenterol. 2013;48:269–70.
Muto Y, Sato S, Watanabe A, et al. Effects of oral branched-chain amino acid granules on event-free survival in patients with liver cirrhosis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2005;3:705–13.
Marchesini G, Bianchi G, Merli M, et al. Nutritional supplementation with branched-chain amino acids in advanced cirrhosis: a double-blind, randomized trial. Gastroenterology. 2003;124:1792–801.
Urata Y, Okita K, Korenaga K, et al. The effect of supplementation with branched-chain amino acids in patients with liver cirrhosis. Hepatol Res. 2007;37:510–6.
Tabaru A, Shirohara H, Moriyama A, et al. Effects of branched-chain-enriched amino acid solution on insulin and glucagon secretion and blood glucose level in liver cirrhosis. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1998;33:853–9.
Kawaguchi T, Taniguchi E, Itou M, et al. Branched-chain amino acids improve insulin resistance in patients with hepatitis C virus-related liver disease: report of two cases. Liver Int. 2007;27:1287–92.
Nishitani S, Takehana K, Fujitani S, et al. Branched-chain amino acids improve glucose metabolism in rats with liver cirrhosis. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2005;288:G1292–300.
Lautz HU, Selberg O, Körber J, et al. Protein-calorie malnutrition in liver cirrhosis. Clin Investig. 1992;70(6):478–86.
Kachaamy T, Bajaj JS, Heuman DM. Muscle and mortality in cirrhosis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2012;10(2):100–2.
Kitajima Y, Eguchi Y, Ishibashi E, et al. Age-related fat deposition in multifidus muscle could be a marker for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. J Gastroenterol. 2010;45:218–24.
Kitajima Y, Hyogo H, Sumida Y, et al. The severity of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is associated with substitution of adipose tissue in skeletal muscle. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2013;28(9):1507–14.
Plauth M, Cabré E, Campillo B, et al. ESPEN guidelines on parenteral nutrition: hepatology. Clin Nutr. 2009;28:436–44.
Haffner SM, Kennedy E, Gonzalez C, et al. A prospective analysis of the HOMA model. The Mexico City Diabetes Study. Diabetes Care. 1996;19:1138–41.
Katz A, Nambi SS, Mather K, et al. Quantitative insulin sensitivity check index: a simple, accurate method for assessing insulin sensitivity in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2000;85:2402–10.
Saadeh S, Younossi ZM, Remer EM, et al. The utility of radiological imaging in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Gastroenterology. 2002;123:745–50.
Piekarski J, Goldberg HI, Royal SA, et al. Difference between liver and spleen CT number in the normal adult: its usefulness in predicting the presence of diffuse liver disease. Radiology. 1980;137:727–9.
Yoshizumi T, Nakamura T, Yamane M, et al. Abdominal fat: standardized technique for measurement at CT. Radiology. 1999;211:283–6.
Janssen I, Baumgartner RN, Ross R, et al. Skeletal muscle cutpoints associated with elevated physical disability risk in older men and women. Am J Epidemiol. 2004;159(4):413–21.
Mourtzakis M, Prado CM, Lieffers JR, et al. A practical and precise approach to quantification of body composition in cancer patients using computed tomography images acquired during routine care. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2008;33(5):997–1006.
Ling CH, de Craen AJ, Slagboom PE, et al. Accuracy of direct segmental multi-frequency bioimpedance analysis in the assessment of total body and segmental body composition in middle-aged adult population. Clin Nutr. 2011;30(5):610–5.
Janssen I, Heymsfield SB, Baumgartner RN, et al. Estimation of skeletal muscle mass by bioelectrical impedance analysis. J Appl Physiol. 2000;89(2):465–71.
Kawaguchi T, Izumi N, Charlton MR, et al. Branched-chain amino acids as pharmacological nutrients in chronic liver disease. Hepatology. 2011;54:1063–70.
Ijichi C, Matsumura T, Tsuji T, et al. Branched-chain amino acids promote albumin synthesis in rat primary hepatocytes through the mTOR signal transduction system. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2003;303:59–64.
Nishitani S, Ijichi C, Takehana K, et al. Pharmacological activities of branched-chain amino acids: specificity of tissue and signal transduction. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2004;313:387–9.
Matsumura T, Morinaga Y, Fujitani S, et al. Oral administration of branched-chain amino acids activates the mTOR signal in cirrhotic rat liver. Hepatol Res. 2005;33:27–32.
Hayashi M, Ohnishi H, Kawade Y, et al. Augmented utilization of branched-chain amino acids by skeletal muscle in decompensated liver cirrhosis in special relation to ammonia detoxication. Gastroenterol Jpn. 1981;16:64–70.
Higuchi N, Kato M, Miyazaki M, et al. Potential role of branched-chain amino acids in glucose metabolism through the accelerated induction of the glucose-sensing apparatus in the liver. J Cell Biochem. 2011;112:30–8.
Nishimura J, Masaki T, Arakawa M, et al. Isoleucine prevents the accumulation of tissue triglycerides and upregulates the expression of PPARalpha and uncoupling protein in diet-induced obese mice. J Nutr. 2010;140:496–500.
Arakawa M, Masaki T, Nishimura J, et al. The effects of branched-chain amino acid granules on the accumulation of tissue triglycerides and uncoupling proteins in diet-induced obese mice. Endocr J. 2011;58:161–70.
Nakaya Y, Okita K, Suzuki K, et al. BCAA-enriched snack improves nutritional state of cirrhosis. Nutrition. 2007;23:113–20.
Ichikawa T, Naota T, Miyaaki H, et al. Effect of an oral branched chain amino acid-enriched snack in cirrhotic patients with sleep disturbance. Hepatol Res. 2010;40:971–8.
Nishitani S, Matsumura T, Fujitani S, et al. Leucine promotes glucose uptake in skeletal muscles of rats. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2002;299:693–6.
Müller MJ, Böker KH, Selberg O. Metabolism of energy-yielding substrates in patients with liver cirrhosis. Metabolism of energy-yielding substrates in patients with liver cirrhosis. Clin Investig. 1994;72(8):568–79.
Campillo B, Bories PN, Pornin B, et al. Influence of liver failure, ascites, and energy expenditure on the response to oral nutrition in alcoholic liver cirrhosis. Nutrition. 1997;13(7–8):613–21.
Selberg O, Böttcher J, Tusch G, et al. Identification of high- and low-risk patients before liver transplantation: a prospective cohort study of nutritional and metabolic parameters in 150 patients. Hepatology. 1997;25(3):652–7.
Englesbe MJ, Patel SP, He K, et al. Sarcopenia and mortality after liver transplantation. J Am Coll Surg. 2010;211:271–8.
Kamachi S, Mizuta T, Otsuka T, et al. Sarcopenia is a risk factor for the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after curative treatment. Hepatol Res. 2016;46(2):201–8.
Campillo B, Fouet P, Bonnet JC, et al. Submaximal oxygen consumption in liver cirrhosis. Evidence of severe functional aerobic impairment. J Hepatol. 1990;10(2):163–7.
Román E, Torrades MT, Nadal MJ, et al. Randomized pilot study: effects of an exercise programme and leucine supplementation in patients with cirrhosis. Dig Dis Sci. 2014;59(8):1966–75.
Nishida Y, Ide Y, Okada M, et al. Effects of home-based exercise and branched-chain amino acid supplementation on aerobic capacity and glycemic control in patients with cirrhosis. Hepatol Res. 2017;47(3):E193–200.
Acknowledgements
We thank the medical staff at Eguchi Hospital and Professor Kyuichi Tanikawa (International Institute for Liver Research) for excellent advice. This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (2010) (#22590741 to Y.E.).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kitajima, Y., Takahashi, H., Akiyama, T. et al. Supplementation with branched-chain amino acids ameliorates hypoalbuminemia, prevents sarcopenia, and reduces fat accumulation in the skeletal muscles of patients with liver cirrhosis. J Gastroenterol 53, 427–437 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-017-1370-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-017-1370-x