Tier 4 — mechanistic

Elevated glycine betaine excretion in diabetes mellitus patients is associated with proximal tubular dysfunction and hyperglycemia

W J Dellow, S T Chambers, M Lever, H Lunt, R A Robson
Diabetes research and clinical practice 1999 43(2):91-99

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 10221661
DOI
10.1016/s0168-8227(98)00115-6
Funding
Funding was not specified in the indexed record or accessible funding metadata.
Competing interests
A competing-interest declaration was not available in the indexed record or accessible disclosure metadata.

Study snapshot

DesignCross-sectional clinical study
ModelHuman participants
Sample85 people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes
InterventionMeasured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment
DurationBlood and urine assessment
EndpointsUrinary betaine; Glycemic control; Tubular function

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 1999, this source examined human observational and biomarker research. Design: Cross-sectional clinical study. Sample/model: 85 people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The exposure or intervention was Measured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment. Follow-up or treatment period: Blood and urine assessment.

High urinary betaine loss was associated with some measures of poor glucose control and proximal-tubular dysfunction, but much variation remained unexplained.

Observational exposure analysis: residual confounding and reverse causation remain possible. Associations do not establish that betaine supplementation causes the same outcome.

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Key findings

  • High urinary betaine loss was associated with some measures of poor glucose control and proximal-tubular dysfunction, but much variation remained unexplained.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Urinary betaine; Glycemic control; Tubular function.
  • The exposure was observed rather than assigned as an isolated supplement treatment.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Observational exposure analysis: residual confounding and reverse causation remain possible. Associations do not establish that betaine supplementation causes the same outcome.
  • Confounding, dietary patterns, illness, medication use and reverse causation can influence an association. Blood or dietary concentrations do not identify the effect of starting a capsule.
  • Source basis: Indexed abstract and bibliographic data. Missing method details, funding information or participant denominators are not inferred.

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Metabolic Effects of Betaine: A Randomized Clinical Trial of Betaine Supplementation in Prediabetes
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High Betaine, a Trimethylamine N-Oxide Related Metabolite, Is Prospectively Associated with Low Future Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in the PREVEND Study
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Dietary Choline and Betaine and Risk of CVD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies
Katie A Meyer et al. · Nutrients · 2017
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Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

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Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology