Abstract
Background: Metabolomics serves as a very useful tool for elucidating disease mechanisms and identifying biomarkers. Establishing reference intervals (RIs) of metabolites in a healthy population is crucial to the application of metabolomics in life sciences and clinics. Methods: We enrolled 615 healthy Chinese adults aged between 21 and 85 years. Their health status was ascertained through clinical examinations, biochemical parameters, and medical history. Targeted metabolomics and lipidomics analyses were applied to quantify 705 metabolites and lipids in the serum, establishing RIs and investigating the effect of sex and age on the metabolome and lipidome. Results: This study is the first large-scale effort in China to establish RIs for metabolites in the apparently healthy population. We found that most of the sex-related metabolites, including amino acids, acyl-carnitines and triacylglycerols, had higher concentrations in males, while the other sex-related lipids showed higher concentrations in females. Most of the age-related metabolites increased with age, including those associated with protein synthesis, nitric oxide synthesis, energy metabolism, and lipid metabolism. Conclusions: This study gives the reference intervals of the healthy Chinese metabolome and lipidome and their relationship with sex and age, which facilitates life sciences and precision medicine, especially for disease research and biomarker discovery.