New research using data from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), one of the cohorts connected to Amsterdam Cohort Hub (ACH), shows how demographic, health and lifestyle factors are associated with plasma metabolite levels and how these levels change over time. The study followed 1,902 adults over a period of six years.

What influences the plasma metabolome?

Samples were collected from NESDA participants at baseline and again six years later. In total, 680 plasma metabolites were measured. The researchers grouped these into five broader metabolomic profiles and investigated their associations with 18 characteristics covering demographics, psychosocial environment, lifestyle, somatic health and mental health.

Factors including sex and age, BMI and medication use, and lifestyle behaviours such as smoking and alcohol intake showed the strongest associations with differences in the plasma metabolome, both between participants and with changes within individuals over six years. Psychosocial factors and mental health also showed some associations, but explained comparatively less of the variation.

Metabolite levels remain relatively stable

The researchers also found that metabolite levels within individuals were moderately correlated between the two measurements. Overall, this indicates that participants’ plasma metabolite levels remained relatively stable over the six-year period.

Implications for future research

The findings suggest that future longitudinal metabolomics studies may benefit from looking beyond commonly considered factors such as age, sex, BMI, medication use and smoking. Less frequently studied factors, including urbanisation, work stress, daily hassles and leisure activity, were also associated with the plasma metabolome and could be relevant for future studies of metabolic health. The study was published in eBioMedicine.

Read the full paper:Determinants of the plasma metabolome: cross-sectional and longitudinal associations over six years in the NESDA cohort.