Mixed
Branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) dysregulation directly causes pro-arrhythmic effects, including action potential prolongation and calcium dysregulation, independent of structural cardiac changes.
If you have diabetes or obesity, your risk of dangerous heart rhythms may be linked to how your body processes specific amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine) found in protein. While you don't necessarily need to eliminate protein, focusing on dietary patterns that improve metabolic health, such as the Mediterranean diet, may help lower BCAA levels and reduce arrhythmia risk. Consult your doctor about your specific metabolic profile.
Direct evidence for a pro-arrhythmic effect of elevated BCAA levels was obtained from subsequent studies showing that 5 days of incubation of normal human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) with high BCAA levels induced similar action potential prolongation and pro-arrhythmic events as observed in Bcat2p.Q300*/p.Q300* mice.
Why this rating
Based on animal models (mice) and in vitro human cell models (hiPSC-CMs), not yet large-scale human clinical trials.
Source
Sudden Cardiac Death in Diabetes and Obesity: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies
Carol Ann Remme · Canadian Journal of Cardiology · 2022
DOI 10.1016/j.cjca.2022.01.001
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