Tier 2 — strong

Effect of homocysteine-lowering nutrients on blood lipids: results from four randomised, placebo-controlled studies in healthy humans

Margreet R Olthof, Trinette van Vliet, Petra Verhoef, Peter L Zock, Martijn B Katan
PLoS medicine 2005 2(5):e135

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 15916468
PubMed Central
PMC1140947
DOI
10.1371/journal.pmed.0020135
Funding
Funding was not specified in the indexed record or accessible funding metadata.
Competing interests
Reported disclosure: Competing Interests: The Wageningen Centre for Food Sciences (WCFS) is an alliance of six industrial partners (AVEBE, Cosun, CSM, DSM, Unilever, and NZO) and four research organizations (Wageningen University and Research Centre, Maastricht University, NIZO Food Research, and TNO Quality of Life). Forty-seven percent of funding comes from the Dutch government, 29% from the industrial partners, and 24% from the research institutes. The partners have no say over the mode or content of publications resulting from work at WCFS but have the right to seek patent protection so that findings can be commercialized. MBK is a member of the editorial board of PLoS Medicine.

Study snapshot

DesignPooled randomized trials
ModelHuman participants
SampleThree betaine trials with 151 participants; additional folate and choline trial data
InterventionBetaine up to 6 g/day; separate folic acid and phosphatidylcholine comparisons
DurationBetaine interventions generally 6 weeks
EndpointsLDL cholesterol; Triglycerides; Homocysteine

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2005, this source examined homocysteine, methylation and vascular function. Design: Pooled randomized trials. Sample/model: Three betaine trials with 151 participants; additional folate and choline trial data. The exposure or intervention was Betaine up to 6 g/day; separate folic acid and phosphatidylcholine comparisons. Follow-up or treatment period: Betaine interventions generally 6 weeks.

At 6 g/day, betaine raised LDL cholesterol by about 0.36 mmol/L and triglycerides by 0.14 mmol/L versus placebo. These changes complicate claims that homocysteine lowering necessarily improves cardiovascular health.

Pooled reports overlap earlier trials and are not independent new participant cohorts. Short-term lipid outcomes do not quantify event risk.

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

Key findings

  • At 6 g/day, betaine raised LDL cholesterol by about 0.36 mmol/L and triglycerides by 0.14 mmol/L versus placebo.
  • These changes complicate claims that homocysteine lowering necessarily improves cardiovascular health.
  • The recorded outcome domains were LDL cholesterol; Triglycerides; Homocysteine.
  • The result applies to the tested exposure: Betaine up to 6 g/day; separate folic acid and phosphatidylcholine comparisons; Betaine interventions generally 6 weeks.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Pooled reports overlap earlier trials and are not independent new participant cohorts. Short-term lipid outcomes do not quantify event risk.
  • An individual controlled trial must be interpreted alongside its comparator, sample size, endpoint selection and independent replication. It does not validate a different commercial formulation or a general longevity claim.
  • Source basis: Accessible full-text extract plus indexed bibliographic data. Missing method details, funding information or participant denominators are not inferred.

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Betaine supplementation lowers plasma homocysteine in healthy men and women
Gery R Steenge et al. · The Journal of nutrition · 2003
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Low dose betaine supplementation leads to immediate and long term lowering of plasma homocysteine in healthy men and women
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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