Tier 3 — preclinical

Involvement of AMP-activated protein kinase in beneficial effects of betaine on high-sucrose diet-induced hepatic steatosis

Zhenyuan Song, Ion Deaciuc, Zhanxiang Zhou, Ming Song, Theresa Chen, Daniell Hill, Craig J McClain
American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology 2007 293(4):G894-G902

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 17702954
PubMed Central
PMC4215798
DOI
10.1152/ajpgi.00133.2007
Funding
Indexed grant support: R01 AA010496 — NIAAA NIH HHS — United States; R01 AA015970 — NIAAA NIH HHS — United States. The indexed list may not contain the complete funding declaration.
Competing interests
A competing-interest declaration was not available in the indexed record or accessible disclosure metadata.

Study snapshot

DesignExperimental animal and/or laboratory research
ModelHigh-sucrose-fed mice
Sample32 mice; four groups of eight
InterventionBetaine 1% in drinking water
DurationLong-term dietary model
EndpointsLiver fat; AMPK; Lipogenesis

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2007, this source examined preclinical aging, brain and metabolic mechanisms. Design: Experimental animal and/or laboratory research. Sample/model: 32 mice; four groups of eight. The exposure or intervention was Betaine 1% in drinking water. Follow-up or treatment period: Long-term dietary model.

Betaine attenuated liver-fat accumulation alongside increased AMPK activation and reduced lipogenic activity.

Experimental model evidence. The intervention, concentrations and outcomes do not establish an effective human supplement dose or a clinical treatment benefit.

Continue with TMG Data Center

Continue with TMG and Liver Health: Human Trials Behind the Claims

Key findings

  • Betaine attenuated liver-fat accumulation alongside increased AMPK activation and reduced lipogenic activity.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Liver fat; AMPK; Lipogenesis.
  • The result applies to the tested exposure: Betaine 1% in drinking water; Long-term dietary model.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Experimental model evidence. The intervention, concentrations and outcomes do not establish an effective human supplement dose or a clinical treatment benefit.
  • Cell concentrations, species, disease models and experimental routes cannot be converted directly into an effective or safe oral human regimen.
  • Source basis: Indexed abstract and bibliographic data. Missing method details, funding information or participant denominators are not inferred.

Related papers in the corpus

Tier 2
Betaine for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: results of a randomized placebo-controlled trial
Manal F Abdelmalek et al. · Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) · 2009
Tier 2
Pilot trials of oral betaine in participants with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and elevated alanine aminotransferase
Andrew S Lim et al. · Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) · 2026
Tier 4
Betaine in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease: Mechanisms of Action and Therapeutic Potential
Tatjana Radosavljevic et al. · Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
Tier 2
Metabolic Effects of Betaine: A Randomized Clinical Trial of Betaine Supplementation in Prediabetes
Ana Maria Grizales et al. · The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2018
Tier 3
Systematic profiling reveals betaine as an exercise mimetic for geroprotection
Lingling Geng et al. · Cell · 2025
Tier 4
Betaine and aging: A narrative review of findings, possible mechanisms, research perspectives, and practical recommendations
Emilia Zawieja et al. · Ageing research reviews · 2025

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