Dietary sulfur amino acid restriction in humans with overweight and obesity: Evidence of an altered plasma and urine sulfurome, and a novel metabolic signature that correlates with loss of fat mass and adipose tissue gene expression.

BACKGROUND

In animals, dietary sulfur amino acid restriction (SAAR) improves metabolic health, possibly mediated by altering sulfur amino acid metabolism and enhanced anti-obesogenic processes in adipose tissue.

AIM

To assess the effects of SAAR over time on the plasma and urine SAA-related metabolites (sulfurome) in humans with overweight and obesity, and explore whether such changes were associated with body weight, body fat and adipose tissue gene expression.

METHODS

Fifty-nine subjects were randomly allocated to SAAR (∼2 g SAA, n = 31) or a control diet (∼5.6 g SAA, n = 28) consisting of plant-based whole-foods and supplemented with capsules to titrate contents of SAA. Sulfurome metabolites in plasma and urine at baseline, 4 and 8 weeks were measured using HPLC and LC-MS/MS. mRNA-sequencing of subcutaneous white adipose tissue (scWAT) was performed to assess changes in gene expression. Data were analyzed with mixed model regression. Principal component analyses (PCA) were performed on the sulfurome data to identify potential signatures characterizing the response to SAAR.

RESULTS

SAAR led to marked decrease of the main urinary excretion product sulfate (p < 0.001) and plasma and/or 24-h urine concentrations of cystathionine, sulfite, thiosulfate, HS, hypotaurine and taurine. PCA revealed a distinct metabolic signature related to decreased transsulfuration and HS catabolism that predicted greater weight loss and android fat mass loss in SAAR vs. controls (all p < 0.05). This signature correlated positively with scWAT expression of genes in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, electron transport and β-oxidation (FDR = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

SAAR leads to distinct alterations of the plasma and urine sulfurome in humans, and predicted increased loss of weight and android fat mass, and adipose tissue lipolytic gene expression in scWAT. Our data suggest that SAA are linked to obesogenic processes and that SAAR may be useful for obesity and related disorders. TRIAL IDENTIFIER: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04701346.