Leucine May Fight Pre-Diabetes

Leucine (amino acid) May Fight Pre-Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome

Study Shows Improvements With Dietary Intake Of
The Natural Amino Acid From Protein

Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center conducted an important new study demonstrating that adding the amino
acid leucine to the diets of people with pre-diabetes may
help metabolic syndrome.

In a laboratory-controlled study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, the subjects who had been on a high-fat diet but who
also received twice the usual intake of leucine, an amino
acid found in protein, showed reductions in their prediabetic conditions with lower blood sugars and less fat in their livers.

These two medical problems are usually associated with
insulin resistance, considered the major factors in metabolic syndrome.

"The impact on the animals on the high-fat diet, even though
it didn't change how fat they got, was that their bodies were
able to handle glucose better," said the team of researchers from the Joslin Section on Integrative Physiology and Metabolism and Medicine at Harvard Medical School. .

"Their glucose tolerance tests improved," they explained.
"Their bodies responded to insulin better than they would
have before they got the leucine. It improved their ability to metabolize sugar and fats. It markedly improved their pre-diabetic condition. Their metabolic syndrome also improved."

As a comparison, the subjects who were fed a normal diet
and given leucine showed no significant effects from taking
the amino acid dietary supplement.

"We found that adding just this one amino acid to the diet changed the metabolism in a lot of different pathways," they emphasized. "It had effects that improved insulin sensitivity, improved their ability to metabolize sugar and fats and their overall metabolism improved."

The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, shows
that even small changes in how we control dietary intake can make a big difference. Such changes can be positive or negative. In this case, they were positive.

Leucine is one of 22 amino acids, known as the building blocks of protein. It was chosen to be tested because in vitro studies had previously shown that it has effects on insulin signaling,
the researchers said.

Leucine is naturally present in all protein food sources. Amino acid with leucine supplements are often taken by athletes and by people involved in weight-training and body-building in order to increase muscle mass.

Story Source:
Joslin Diabetes Center

Journal Reference:
"Dietary Leucine - An Environmental Modifier of Insulin Resistance Acting on Multiple Levels of Metabolism."
PLoS ONE, 2011

This article is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult with your doctor or healthcare professional for medical and nutrition advice.