Beta-aminoisobutyric acid (also known as 3-aminoisobutyric acid) is a non-protein amino acid formed by the catabolism of valine and the nucleotide thymine. It is further catabolized to methylmalonic acid semialdehyde and propionyl-CoA. Levels are controlled by a vitamin B6-dependent reaction in the liver and kidneys. β-aminoisobutyric acid can also be produced by skeletal muscle during physical activity.
References:
- Van Kuilenburg AB, Stroomer AE, Van Lenthe H, Abeling NG, Van Gennip AH. New insights in dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency: a pivotal role for betaaminoisobutyric acid? Biochem J. 2004;379(Pt 1):119-124.
- Tanianskii DA, Jarzebska N, Birkenfeld AL, O’Sullivan JF, Rodionov RN. Beta-Aminoisobutyric Acid as a Novel Regulator of Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism. Nutrients. 2019;11(3).
- Roberts LD, Bostrom P, O’Sullivan JF, et al. betaAminoisobutyric acid induces browning of white fat and hepatic beta-oxidation and is inversely correlated with cardiometabolic risk factors. Cell Metab. 2014;19(1):96-108.
Low levels of β-AIB may be seen with decreased precursors, such as valine. Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency is a rare inborn error of metabolism that results in lower levels of urinary β-AIB.
Understand and improve your laboratory results with our health dashboard.
Upload your lab reports and get your interpretation today.
Our technology helps to understand, combine, track, organize, and act on your medical lab test results.
Like B-alanine, Beta-aminisobutyrate is a product of the breakdown of DNA and RNA, and can be produced by unusual bacterial activity and unusual flora (yeast) in the gastrointestinal tract.
Further metabolism of beta-aminoisobutyrate requires functional B-6 activity; therefore, elevations in this metabolite in urine may reflect poor B-6 status or impaired conversion of B-6 to active P-5-P (check other B-6 dependent markers, eg. elevated beta-alanine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, cystathionine).
Hyper-beta-aminoacidurea is a complex disorder in both metabolism and renal transport.
Elevated levels of beta-alanine cause decreased renal absorption of beta-aminoisobutyrate, taurine and sometimes gamma- aminobutyrate. Depletion of the neurotransmitter taurine, and the suppression of gamma- aminobutyrate in the nervous system can affect behavior, cognitive function and result in seizures. Hyper-beta-aminoacidurea can be associated with the following symptoms:
- tingling/burning sensations in the skin,
- headaches,
- irritability,
- uneven temper,
- fatigue and delusions.
General food intolerances and sensitivities to xenobiotics are common complaints. Patients presenting with hyper-beta-aminoacidurea should be evaluated for magnesium and zinc status (Red Blood Cell Elements), B-6 and abnormal intestinal flora (Comprehensive Stool Analysis). Dietary restriction of foods high in carnosine and anserine may be necessary. Neoplastic diseases have been documented to be associated with hyper-beta-aminoisobutyrate but an elevation in this metabolite is not diagnostic for such conditions.
Interpret Your Lab Results
Upload your lab report, and we'll interpret and provide you with recommendations today.
Get StartedMonthly plan
Annual plan
Own it for life
Our exclusive data entry service is a convenient way to get your results into your private dashboard. Simply attach an image or a file of your lab test results, and one of our qualified data entry team members will add the results for you. We support all sorts of files, whether PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is excellent whether you have a lot of reports to upload or are too busy to do the data entry yourself.
We strive to make the data entry process easy for you. Whether by offering dozens of templates to choose from that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels or by giving you instant feedback on the entered values. Our data entry forms are an easy, fast, and convenient way to enter the reports yourself. There is no limit on how many lab reports you can upload.
$15 /month
billed every month
Most popular
Data entry included
$79 /year
$6.60/month billed annually
Data entry included
$250 /once
own it for life
Are You a Health Professional?
Get started with our professional plan
Welcome to Healthmatters Pro.
Save time on interpreting lab results with the largest database of biomarkers online. In-depth research on any test at your fingertips, all stored and tracked in one place. Learn more
Pro Monthly Plus
for health professionals
$75 per month
At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.
1-Methylhistidine, 3-Methylhistidine, Alanine, Alpha-amino-N-butyrate, Alpha-aminoadipate, Ammonia (NH4), Ammonia Level (NH4), Anserine, Arginine, Asparagine, Aspartate, Beta-alanine, Beta-aminoisobutyrate, Carnosine, Citrulline, Creatinine, Cystathionine, Cysteine, Cystine, Ethanolamine, Gamma-aminobutyrate, Glutamate, Glutamine, Glutamine/Glutamate, Glycine, Histidine, Homocystine, Hydroxyproline, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Methionine Sulfoxide, Ornithine, Phenylalanine, Phosphoethanolamine, Phosphoserine, Proline, Sarcosine, Serine, Taurine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Tyrosine, Urea, Valine