Tier 2 — strong

The effect of low doses of betaine on plasma homocysteine in healthy volunteers

Georg Alfthan, Kaisa Tapani, Katja Nissinen, Janna Saarela, Antti Aro
The British journal of nutrition 2004 92(4):665-669

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 15522136
DOI
10.1079/bjn20041253
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

DesignSequential intervention
ModelHuman participants
Sample34 healthy adults
InterventionSequential betaine 1, 3 and 6 g/day, then 6 g/day plus folic acid 1 mg/day
DurationFour consecutive 1-week periods
EndpointsHomocysteine; Dose response

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2004, this source examined homocysteine, methylation and vascular function. Design: Sequential intervention. Sample/model: 34 healthy adults. The exposure or intervention was Sequential betaine 1, 3 and 6 g/day, then 6 g/day plus folic acid 1 mg/day. Follow-up or treatment period: Four consecutive 1-week periods.

Homocysteine fell about 10% with 3 g/day and 14% with 6 g/day; 1 g/day did not produce a significant reduction. Adding folic acid produced a further decrease.

Sequential dosing without a parallel placebo comparison can mix dose effects with time and carryover.

Continue with TMG Data Center

Continue with TMG and Homocysteine: How Much Can Betaine Lower It?

Key findings

  • Homocysteine fell about 10% with 3 g/day and 14% with 6 g/day; 1 g/day did not produce a significant reduction.
  • Adding folic acid produced a further decrease.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Homocysteine; Dose response.
  • The result applies to the tested exposure: Sequential betaine 1, 3 and 6 g/day, then 6 g/day plus folic acid 1 mg/day; Four consecutive 1-week periods.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Sequential dosing without a parallel placebo comparison can mix dose effects with time and carryover.
  • Without a sufficiently blinded concurrent control, time effects, expectations, co-interventions and regression toward the mean can explain part of an apparent improvement.
  • Source basis: Indexed abstract and bibliographic data. Missing method details, funding information or participant denominators are not inferred.

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Effect of homocysteine-lowering nutrients on blood lipids: results from four randomised, placebo-controlled studies in healthy humans
Margreet R Olthof et al. · PLoS medicine · 2005
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Gery R Steenge et al. · The Journal of nutrition · 2003
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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