Tier 4 — mechanistic

Divergent associations of plasma choline and betaine with components of metabolic syndrome in middle age and elderly men and women

Svetlana V Konstantinova, Grethe S Tell, Stein Emil Vollset, Ottar Nygård, Øyvind Bleie, Per Magne Ueland
The Journal of nutrition 2008 138(5):914-920

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 18424601
DOI
10.1093/jn/138.5.914
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

DesignCross-sectional population study
ModelHuman participants
Sample7074 Hordaland participants
InterventionMeasured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment
DurationSingle blood and risk-factor assessment
EndpointsMetabolic-syndrome markers

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2008, this source examined human observational and biomarker research. Design: Cross-sectional population study. Sample/model: 7074 Hordaland participants. The exposure or intervention was Measured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment. Follow-up or treatment period: Single blood and risk-factor assessment.

Higher betaine was associated with a more favorable metabolic-risk profile, while choline often showed the opposite pattern.

Observational exposure analysis: residual confounding and reverse causation remain possible. Associations do not establish that betaine supplementation causes the same outcome.

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Key findings

  • Higher betaine was associated with a more favorable metabolic-risk profile, while choline often showed the opposite pattern.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Metabolic-syndrome markers.
  • The exposure was observed rather than assigned as an isolated supplement treatment.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Observational exposure analysis: residual confounding and reverse causation remain possible. Associations do not establish that betaine supplementation causes the same outcome.
  • Confounding, dietary patterns, illness, medication use and reverse causation can influence an association. Blood or dietary concentrations do not identify the effect of starting a capsule.
  • 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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Dietary Choline and Betaine and Risk of CVD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies
Katie A Meyer et al. · Nutrients · 2017
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Dietary Choline and Betaine Are Not Associated With the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies
Elham Sharifi-Zahabi et al. · Journal of diabetes research · 2026
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Association of choline and betaine with the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality: Meta-analysis
Qinglin Yang et al. · European journal of clinical investigation · 2023
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Association of choline and betaine levels with cancer incidence and survival: A meta-analysis
Jiyoung Youn et al. · Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2019

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