What are isoleucine’s main drawbacks?

    Last Updated: October 25, 2023

    Isoleucine is usually well-tolerated, but some people may experience gastrointestinal upset (e.g., nausea, diarrhea).[1] Importantly, these side effects have been observed when isoleucine was taken as part of a BCAA supplement; the potential side effects of isoleucine when supplemented alone are undetermined.

    Observational studies have found that increased levels of isoleucine in the blood are associated with certain health conditions, including insulin resistance,[2] type 2 diabetes,[3][2] cardiovascular disease,[4][5] and obesity.[6][7] Further research is needed to determine whether these elevated levels of isoleucine are a cause or an effect of these conditions.

    References

    1. ^Gluud LL, Dam G, Les I, Córdoba J, Marchesini G, Borre M, Aagaard NK, Vilstrup HBranched-chain amino acids for people with hepatic encephalopathy.Cochrane Database Syst Rev.(2015-Sep-17)
    2. ^Long J, Yang Z, Wang L, Han Y, Peng C, Yan C, Yan DMetabolite biomarkers of type 2 diabetes mellitus and pre-diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Endocr Disord.(2020-Nov-23)
    3. ^Ramzan I, Ardavani A, Vanweert F, Mellett A, Atherton PJ, Idris IThe Association between Circulating Branched Chain Amino Acids and the Temporal Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis.Nutrients.(2022-Oct-20)
    4. ^Flores-Guerrero JL, Groothof D, Connelly MA, Otvos JD, Bakker SJL, Dullaart RPFConcentration of Branched-Chain Amino Acids Is a Strong Risk Marker for Incident Hypertension.Hypertension.(2019-Dec)
    5. ^Wang Y, Huang K, Liu F, Lu X, Huang J, Gu DAssociation of circulating branched-chain amino acids with risk of cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Atherosclerosis.(2022-Jun)
    6. ^Ho JE, Larson MG, Ghorbani A, Cheng S, Chen MH, Keyes M, Rhee EP, Clish CB, Vasan RS, Gerszten RE, Wang TJMetabolomic Profiles of Body Mass Index in the Framingham Heart Study Reveal Distinct Cardiometabolic Phenotypes.PLoS One.(2016)
    7. ^N Geidenstam, M Al-Majdoub, M Ekman, P Spégel, M RidderstråleMetabolite profiling of obese individuals before and after a one year weight loss programInt J Obes (Lond).(2017 Sep)