A branched-chain amino acid-based metabolic score can predict liver fat in children and adolescents with severe obesity

Abstract

Background: Eighty percent of adolescents with severe obesity suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Non-invasive prediction models have been tested in adults, however, they performed poorly in paediatric populations. Objective: This study aimed to investigate novel biomarkers for NAFLD and to develop a score that predicts liver fat in youth with severe obesity. Methods: From a population with a BMI >97th percentile aged 9-19 years (n = 68), clinically thoroughly characterized including MRI-derived proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF), amino acids and acylcarnitines were measured by HPLC-MS. Results: In children with NAFLD, higher levels of plasma branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) were determined. BCAAs correlated with MRI-PDFF (R = 0.46, p