Charged metabolite biomarkers of food intake assessed via plasma metabolomics in a population-based observational study in Japan

Abstract

Food intake biomarkers can be critical tools that can be used to objectively assess dietary exposure for both epidemiological and clinical nutrition studies. While an accurate estimation of food intake is essential to unravel associations between the intake and specific health conditions, random and systematic errors affect self-reported assessments. This study aimed to clarify how habitual food intake influences the circulating plasma metabolome in a free-living Japanese regional population and to identify potential food intake biomarkers. To achieve this aim, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis as part of a large cohort study. From a baseline survey of the Tsuruoka Metabolome Cohort Study, 7,012 eligible male and female participants aged 40–69 years were chosen for this study. All data on patients’ health status and dietary intake were assessed via a food frequency questionnaire, and plasma samples were obtained during an annual physical examination. Ninety-four charged plasma metabolites were measured using capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry, by a non-targeted approach. Statistical analysis was performed using partial-least-square regression. A total of 21 plasma metabolites were likely to be associated with long-term food intake of nine food groups. In particular, the influential compounds in each food group were hydroxyproline for meat, trimethylamine-N-oxide for fish, choline for eggs, galactarate for dairy, cystine and betaine for soy products, threonate and galactarate for carotenoid-rich vegetables, proline betaine for fruits, quinate and trigonelline for coffee, and pipecolate for alcohol, and these were considered as prominent food intake markers in Japanese eating habits. A set of circulating plasma metabolites was identified as potential food intake biomarkers in the Japanese community-dwelling population. These results will open the way for the application of new reliable dietary assessment tools not by self-reported measurements but through objective quantification of biofluids

Plasma Metabolite Profiles Following Consumption of Animal Protein and Soybean-Based Diet in Hypercholesterolemic Postmenopausal Women

“…Carnosine, a dipeptide also present at high concentrations in muscle tissue, is composed of β-alanine and histidine. Our finding of higher concentrations of 3-methylhistidine and β-alanine after the participants consumed the AP compared to SP diet, during a controlled dietary feeding protocol, is consistent with that observed in two observational studies reporting positive correlations between these two amino acid-related metabolites and meat intake [ 11 , 14 ], in addition to EPIC. Our study design precluded an assessment of the biomarkers that distinguished among red meat, poultry or fish consumption.…”

“…The findings indicated that C20:4 carnitine and dimethylglycine were negatively associated, while allantoin, C14:0 sphingomyelin, C38:7 phosphatidyl-ethanolamine plasmalogen, metronidazole, gamma aminobutyric acid and N-methylnicotinate were positively associated with animal protein intake [ 10 ]. Plasma metabolites in a cohort living in Japan found that hydroxyproline, 3-methylhistidine, aromatic amino acids, beta-alanine, carnitine and 2-aminobutyrate were positively associated with animal protein intake [ 11 ]. These studies identified different clusters of animal protein associated metabolites [ 4 , 9 , 10 , 11 ], with amino acids being the main metabolites that differed between dietary animal and plant proteins [ 12 ].…”

“…Plasma metabolites in a cohort living in Japan found that hydroxyproline, 3-methylhistidine, aromatic amino acids, beta-alanine, carnitine and 2-aminobutyrate were positively associated with animal protein intake [ 11 ]. These studies identified different clusters of animal protein associated metabolites [ 4 , 9 , 10 , 11 ], with amino acids being the main metabolites that differed between dietary animal and plant proteins [ 12 ].…”

A Scoping Review of the Application of Metabolomics in Nutrition Research: The Literature Survey 2000–2019

“…The associations of metabolite levels with extensive food groups have been investigated [67]. Guertin [5] identified a total of 39 serum biomarkers of 36 food groups, such as peanuts with tryptophan betaine, coffee with trigonelline-N-methylnicotinate and quinate, and alcohol with ethyl glucuronide.…”

Evaluation of 3-Methylbutanoic Acid Methyl Ester as a Factor Influencing Flavor Cleanness in Arabica Specialty Coffee

“…Metabolic profiling has been used in the fields of medicine, agriculture, plant physiology, and microbiology as a comprehensive, non-targeted approach. Metabolic profiling in food science enables us to evaluate the balance of components in samples, determine the differences in samples containing multi-component compounds, and predict the correlations between bioactivity/functional activity and multi-component compounds [14][15][16]. Recently, Fujimura et al identified multi-component compounds in tea extracts, which Appl.…”