New research reveals that L-aspartic acid, a common amino acid found in blood plasma, may play a critical role in predicting the risk of gastric cancer and shaping the effectiveness of preventive interventions.

By combining metabolomic profiling with genetic analysis across large populations, scientists found that elevated levels of L-aspartic acid are linked to a higher risk of stomach cancer.

More strikingly, the metabolite appears to influence how well individuals respond to Helicobacter pylori treatment and garlic supplementation—two major strategies for stomach cancer prevention.

These findings suggest that measuring L-aspartic acid levels could help tailor cancer prevention efforts, bringing personalised risk management closer to reality.

Gastric cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, in part due to late-stage diagnosis and the complex web of genetic, environmental, and microbial risk factors.

Although H.pylori infection is a known driver, its eradication alone cannot fully explain individual variability in cancer outcomes.

In recent years, scientists have turned their attention to metabolic signatures—chemical fingerprints left behind by the body's cellular processes—as potential markers for disease risk.

However, most metabolomics studies rely on observational data, limiting their power to prove cause and effect.

Due to these challenges, there is a pressing need to identify causal biomarkers that can both signal cancer risk and inform personalised prevention strategies.

Researchers from Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute published a in Cancer Biology & Medicine that connects plasma L-aspartic acid levels to the development and prevention of gastric cancer.

By integrating multi-stage metabolomic data, Mendelian randomisation, and long-term intervention trial results, the team investigated how this metabolite not only predicts cancer risk but also alters the impact of preventive treatments.

Their findings draw from data in both high-risk Chinese populations and European cohorts, providing strong evidence for L-aspartic acid as a dual-purpose biomarker for stomach cancer detection and intervention guidance.

The investigation began with a metabolomic case-control study in Linqu County, China—a region with high gastric cancer rates—where 14 metabolites were identified as linked to cancer risk.

Among them, L-aspartic acid stood out.

Using genetic instruments, researchers found that individuals with higher genetically predicted levels of this amino acid had a significantly increased risk of developing gastric cancer in two large Chinese cohorts, as well as an elevated risk of gastric adenocarcinoma in European populations.

But the story didn’t end there.

The team went a step further by exploring how L-aspartic acid levels affected the success of established prevention strategies.

In a 27-year randomised trial, the benefits of H.pylori eradication were seen only among individuals with high levels of L-aspartic acid, while garlic supplementation proved effective only in those with low levels.

No such interaction was found with vitamin use.

These findings suggest that L-aspartic acid not only signals cancer risk but also governs how the body responds to preventive measures—offering a promising route to targeted prevention.

The integration of metabolomics and genetic tools allowed researchers to move beyond correlation to suggest causation, opening a new frontier in cancer risk prediction.

“Our findings suggest that plasma L-aspartic acid is not just a passive marker but an active player in gastric cancer development and prevention,” said Dr. Wenqing Li, senior author of the study.

“This amino acid could help clinicians identify those at highest risk and determine which patients are most likely to benefit from specific interventions like H. pylori treatment or garlic supplementation. The era of “one-size-fits-all” prevention is coming to an end—we're now entering a phase of precision prevention driven by biology.”

The implications of this study are far-reaching.

By incorporating plasma L-aspartic acid profiling into screening programmes, health systems could more accurately identify high-risk individuals and allocate preventive resources more effectively, though further validation is warranted prior to clinical implementation.

For example, those with elevated levels might be prioritised for H.pylori eradication therapy, while others could benefit more from dietary approaches.

Beyond public health, these insights pave the way for targeted therapeutics focused on aspartate metabolism, a known factor in tumour cell proliferation.

The study sets the stage for future research into metabolite-guided cancer prevention strategies—offering a personalised, biology-informed approach to reduce the burden of gastric cancer globally.

Source: China Anti-Cancer Association