Tier 2 — strong

Betaine concentration as a determinant of fasting total homocysteine concentrations and the effect of folic acid supplementation on betaine concentrations

Alida Melse-Boonstra, Pål I Holm, Per M Ueland, Margreet Olthof, Robert Clarke, Petra Verhoef
The American journal of clinical nutrition 2005 81(6):1378-1382

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 15941890
DOI
10.1093/ajcn/81.6.1378
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

DesignRCT secondary analysis
ModelHuman participants
Sample308 Dutch men and postmenopausal women aged 50-75
InterventionFolic acid 50-800 micrograms/day or placebo; betaine measured as a biomarker
Duration12 weeks
EndpointsBetaine status; Homocysteine; Folate

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2005, this source examined homocysteine, methylation and vascular function. Design: RCT secondary analysis. Sample/model: 308 Dutch men and postmenopausal women aged 50-75. The exposure or intervention was Folic acid 50-800 micrograms/day or placebo; betaine measured as a biomarker. Follow-up or treatment period: 12 weeks.

Higher betaine was associated with lower fasting homocysteine. Folic acid raised blood betaine, with the largest increase at 400-800 micrograms/day.

Betaine itself was not supplemented; the biomarker association cannot be treated as a TMG treatment effect.

Continue with TMG Data Center

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

Key findings

  • Higher betaine was associated with lower fasting homocysteine.
  • Folic acid raised blood betaine, with the largest increase at 400-800 micrograms/day.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Betaine status; Homocysteine; Folate.
  • The result applies to the tested exposure: Folic acid 50-800 micrograms/day or placebo; betaine measured as a biomarker; 12 weeks.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Betaine itself was not supplemented; the biomarker association cannot be treated as a TMG treatment effect.
  • 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: Indexed abstract and bibliographic data. Missing method details, funding information or participant denominators are not inferred.

Related papers in the corpus

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Betaine supplementation decreases plasma homocysteine in healthy adult participants: a meta-analysis
Marc P McRae et al. · Journal of chiropractic medicine · 2013
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Effects of betaine supplementation on cardiovascular markers: A systematic review and Meta-analysis
Damoon Ashtary-Larky et al. · Critical reviews in food science and nutrition · 2022
Tier 2
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
Tier 2
Betaine supplementation lowers plasma homocysteine in healthy men and women
Gery R Steenge et al. · The Journal of nutrition · 2003
Tier 2
Low dose betaine supplementation leads to immediate and long term lowering of plasma homocysteine in healthy men and women
Margreet R Olthof et al. · The Journal of nutrition · 2003

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

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