Association between Body Fat Composition and Serum Branched Chain Amino Acids in Obese Patients

Association between Body Fat Composition and Serum Branched Chain Amino Acids in Obese Patients | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Association between Body Fat Composition and Serum Branched Chain Amino Acids in Obese Patients Fatima Gul¹, Asad Ullah¹, Yue Li¹, Zhimin Qian, Ling Cao, Dunmin She, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9089222/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 17 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Objective: This study investigated the correlation between serum branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and body fat composition—specifically visceral fat—in obese individuals and assessed their association with insulin resistance (IR). Methods: A total of 105 participants were enrolled and divided into three groups. The groups were as follows: obese individuals without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (n=52), obese individuals with T2DM (n=32), and healthy controls (n=21). Anthropometric indices, biochemical parameters, and serum amino acid profiles were assessed. Associations were examined using correlation analyses and multiple linear regression. . Results: Serum BCAA levels remained drastically higher in both obese groups than in controls (p < 0.001). Valine showed the greatest increase (obese non-T2DM: 35.98±8.29 µg/mL; obese T2DM: 42.40±8.37 µg/mL; controls: 30.48±4.19 µg/mL). BCAAs were positively associated with visceral fat area (VFA), body mass index (BMI), body fat ratio, and IR-related markers (HOMA-IR, fasting insulin, and HbA1c) (all p<0.05). Valine demonstrated the strongest correlations with HOMA-IR (r=0.431, p<0.001) and VFA (r=0.445, p<0.001). Strong positive correlations were also observed between BCAAs and fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HbA1c, and lipid parameters. In multivariable models, free amino acids were independently associated with total body fat, whereas overall BCAA levels were not independent predictors of total body fat. Conclusion: Obesity is characterized by altered amino acid metabolism, which may contribute to metabolic complications. Elevated circulating BCAAs, particularly valine, are associated with visceral adiposity and insulin resistance and may represent biomarkers of metabolic risk in obesity. Clinical trial number: Not applicable Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) Insulin resistance Obesity Valine Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 02 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 01 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 01 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 01 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 01 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 31 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 31 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 29 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 29 Mar, 2026 Editor invited by journal 19 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 14 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 14 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 10 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9089222","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":615432941,"identity":"d0bb4c98-ac21-41d5-b648-757f207bbda9","order_by":0,"name":"Fatima Gul¹","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Northern Jiangsu People’s Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Fatima","middleName":"","lastName":"Gul¹","suffix":""},{"id":615432942,"identity":"028382b3-97d4-42ab-a57c-3b9cf9d1b193","order_by":1,"name":"Asad Ullah¹","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Northern Jiangsu People’s Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Asad","middleName":"","lastName":"Ullah¹","suffix":""},{"id":615432943,"identity":"157c7bb3-4ec8-42ee-a668-d6a6cd839b5b","order_by":2,"name":"Yue Li¹","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Northern Jiangsu People’s Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yue","middleName":"","lastName":"Li¹","suffix":""},{"id":615432944,"identity":"3e30bb90-e936-4a57-a30c-0cb6808b0b73","order_by":3,"name":"Zhimin Qian","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Northern Jiangsu People’s Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zhimin","middleName":"","lastName":"Qian","suffix":""},{"id":615432945,"identity":"fd7f21f1-f014-4c56-9b1a-ac19976db062","order_by":4,"name":"Ling Cao","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Northern Jiangsu People’s Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ling","middleName":"","lastName":"Cao","suffix":""},{"id":615432946,"identity":"d33cbcab-531a-4008-8a88-09099e760421","order_by":5,"name":"Dunmin She","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Northern Jiangsu People’s Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Dunmin","middleName":"","lastName":"She","suffix":""},{"id":615432947,"identity":"856dc510-44b0-4fbe-bf8a-e70129c00af9","order_by":6,"name":"Ying Li","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA5klEQVRIie2PMQrCMBRAfwmkDoldI4JeISWLx2kXJxHBxUEkUNBF3AviJQTnQsBJ6OrY6gUEFxEHv7o4NR0F85Y8wn/kB8Dh+EGaBCADEJ0uIaaIJii2hH6SngoXtC8vBxRtSz7HJIacyVY6R8lsic9CM7qLyEtAKr5B0aQ8HSsXY9KkKzH0CURnvkMBqtTAlvClGOMrmcJk7GlG23WSWBtPt/kaJauTsNsrIdBKda2EjgzXQoUJpfKyf0v1X4LAbK/sMet0g/xaRFMUPynPVQlAQ4I3/74gleMv/ALgYZ1yOByOf+YJs85FMJV159kAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Northern Jiangsu People’s Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ying","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-11 03:10:13","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9089222/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9089222/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":106093433,"identity":"7722e881-c51e-4d0c-a1ed-ee3d86019d8a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-03 11:37:21","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":587894,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Copyofmanuscriptmainfile.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9089222/v1_covered_7e04df06-01fb-4650-86ec-998a03bb060f.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Association between Body Fat Composition and Serum Branched Chain Amino Acids in Obese Patients","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-endocrine-disorders","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"bend","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Endocrine Disorders](http://bmcendocrdisord.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/bend/default.aspx","title":"BMC Endocrine Disorders","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), Insulin resistance, Obesity, Valine","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9089222/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9089222/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eObjective:\u003c/strong\u003e This study investigated the correlation between serum branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and body fat composition—specifically visceral fat—in obese individuals and assessed their association with insulin resistance (IR). Methods: A total of 105 participants were enrolled and divided into three groups. The groups were as follows: obese individuals without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (n=52), obese individuals with T2DM (n=32), and healthy controls (n=21). Anthropometric indices, biochemical parameters, and serum amino acid profiles were assessed. Associations were examined using correlation analyses and multiple linear regression.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e. \u003cstrong\u003eResults:\u003c/strong\u003e Serum BCAA levels remained drastically higher in both obese groups than in controls (p \u0026lt; 0.001). Valine showed the greatest increase (obese non-T2DM: 35.98±8.29 µg/mL; obese T2DM: 42.40±8.37 µg/mL; controls: 30.48±4.19 µg/mL). BCAAs were positively associated with visceral fat area (VFA), body mass index (BMI), body fat ratio, and IR-related markers (HOMA-IR, fasting insulin, and HbA1c) (all p\u0026lt;0.05). Valine demonstrated the strongest correlations with HOMA-IR (r=0.431, p\u0026lt;0.001) and VFA (r=0.445, p\u0026lt;0.001). Strong positive correlations were also observed between BCAAs and fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HbA1c, and lipid parameters. In multivariable models, free amino acids were independently associated with total body fat, whereas overall BCAA levels were not independent predictors of total body fat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion:\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eObesity is characterized by altered amino acid metabolism, which may contribute to metabolic complications. Elevated circulating BCAAs, particularly valine, are associated with visceral adiposity and insulin resistance and may represent biomarkers of metabolic risk in obesity.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClinical trial number:\u003c/strong\u003e Not applicable\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Association between Body Fat Composition and Serum Branched Chain Amino Acids in Obese Patients","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-01 18:00:59","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9089222/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-04-02T07:33:48+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-01T21:16:27+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-01T21:11:38+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"186209883936401569287237150881838202618","date":"2026-04-01T17:05:03+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-01T07:34:05+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"289565393888863347893062208541615097906","date":"2026-03-31T16:41:34+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"136707433976313314861689876031633862992","date":"2026-03-31T16:09:00+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"58629947632212453871092502594220569554","date":"2026-03-31T01:09:39+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"322976597476309260902573258426394410268","date":"2026-03-30T17:02:09+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"195222854713982647057372799209570525583","date":"2026-03-30T06:53:24+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"159986376743582745323462305191904021316","date":"2026-03-30T06:35:17+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"150013111822032307386197115442121629779","date":"2026-03-30T00:11:44+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-29T16:28:21+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-19T10:47:59+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-03-14T07:42:15+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-03-14T07:41:56+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"BMC Endocrine Disorders","date":"2026-03-11T02:53:54+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-endocrine-disorders","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"bend","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Endocrine Disorders](http://bmcendocrdisord.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/bend/default.aspx","title":"BMC Endocrine Disorders","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"f72320ea-0e69-4050-b740-86a260e8d62b","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 1st, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"in-revision","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-18T10:39:14+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-01 18:00:59","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9089222","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9089222","identity":"rs-9089222","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}