Zamosteanu Diana, Filip Nina, Trandafir Laura Mihaela, Ţarcă Elena, Pertea Mihaela, Bordeianu Gabriela, Bernic Jana, Heredea Anne Marie, Cojocaru Elena
Department of Morphofunctional Sciences I-Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania.
Department of Morphofunctional Sciences II-Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Jul 24;26(15):7129. doi: 10.3390/ijms26157129.
Childhood obesity is a major global health problem, and its management involves a multidisciplinary approach that includes lifestyle changes, dietary interventions, and the use of dietary supplements. In this review, we summarize current findings on the role of amino acids in pediatric obesity, with a particular focus on their involvement in metabolic pathways and weight regulation. The involvement of branched-chain and aromatic amino acids in the pathophysiology and potential management of pediatric obesity is highlighted in recent studies. Both experimental and clinical studies have shown that obese children often exhibit altered plasma amino acid profiles, including increased levels of leucine, isoleucine, valine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine, as well as decreased levels of glycine and serine. These imbalances are correlated with insulin resistance, inflammation, and early metabolic dysfunction. One of the mechanisms through which branched-chain amino acids can promote insulin resistance is the activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. Metabolomic profiling has demonstrated the potential of specific amino acid patterns to predict obesity-related complications before they become clinically evident. Early identification of these biomarkers could be of great help for individualized interventions. Although clinical studies indicate that changes in dietary amino acids could lead to modest weight loss, improved metabolic profiles, and increased satiety, further studies are needed to establish standardized recommendations.
儿童肥胖是一个重大的全球健康问题，其管理涉及多学科方法，包括生活方式改变、饮食干预以及使用膳食补充剂。在本综述中，我们总结了目前关于氨基酸在儿童肥胖中作用的研究结果，特别关注它们在代谢途径和体重调节中的参与情况。最近的研究强调了支链氨基酸和芳香族氨基酸在儿童肥胖的病理生理学及潜在管理中的作用。实验研究和临床研究均表明，肥胖儿童通常表现出血浆氨基酸谱改变，包括亮氨酸、异亮氨酸、缬氨酸、苯丙氨酸和酪氨酸水平升高，以及甘氨酸和丝氨酸水平降低。这些失衡与胰岛素抵抗、炎症和早期代谢功能障碍相关。支链氨基酸促进胰岛素抵抗的机制之一是激活雷帕霉素靶蛋白（mTOR）信号通路。代谢组学分析已证明特定氨基酸模式在肥胖相关并发症出现临床症状之前预测其发生的潜力。早期识别这些生物标志物可能对个体化干预有很大帮助。尽管临床研究表明饮食中氨基酸的变化可能导致适度体重减轻、改善代谢状况并增加饱腹感，但仍需要进一步研究以制定标准化建议。
