Tier 2 — strong

Effect of folic acid and betaine supplementation on flow-mediated dilation: a randomized, controlled study in healthy volunteers

Margreet R Olthof, Michiel L Bots, Martijn B Katan, Petra Verhoef
PLoS clinical trials 2006 1(2):e10

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 16871332
PubMed Central
PMC1488898
DOI
10.1371/journal.pctr.0010010
Funding
Funding was not specified in the indexed record or accessible funding metadata.
Competing interests
Reported disclosure: Competing Interests: None of the authors had a financial or personal interest or advisory board affiliation in the organization sponsoring the research.

Study snapshot

DesignRandomized crossover controlled trial
ModelHuman participants
Sample39 adults aged 50-70 years
InterventionBetaine 6 g/day, folic acid 800 micrograms/day or placebo
Duration6 weeks per treatment; 6-week washouts
EndpointsHomocysteine; Flow-mediated dilation

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2006, this source examined homocysteine, methylation and vascular function. Design: Randomized crossover controlled trial. Sample/model: 39 adults aged 50-70 years. The exposure or intervention was Betaine 6 g/day, folic acid 800 micrograms/day or placebo. Follow-up or treatment period: 6 weeks per treatment; 6-week washouts.

Betaine lowered fasting homocysteine by approximately 12% and folic acid by 20%, but neither improved flow-mediated dilation.

Biomarker lowering without improved vascular function; the trial was not designed to test clinical cardiovascular events.

Continue with TMG Data Center

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

Key findings

  • Betaine lowered fasting homocysteine by approximately 12% and folic acid by 20%, but neither improved flow-mediated dilation.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Homocysteine; Flow-mediated dilation.
  • The result applies to the tested exposure: Betaine 6 g/day, folic acid 800 micrograms/day or placebo; 6 weeks per treatment; 6-week washouts.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Biomarker lowering without improved vascular function; the trial was not designed to test clinical cardiovascular events.
  • 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.

Related papers in the corpus

Tier 1
Betaine supplementation decreases plasma homocysteine in healthy adult participants: a meta-analysis
Marc P McRae et al. · Journal of chiropractic medicine · 2013
Tier 1
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