Tier 4 — mechanistic

Early second trimester maternal plasma choline and betaine are related to measures of early cognitive development in term infants

Brian T F Wu, Roger A Dyer, D Janette King, Kelly J Richardson, Sheila M Innis
PloS one 2012 7(8):e43448

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 22916264
PubMed Central
PMC3423345
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0043448
Funding
Reported funding/support: This research was funded by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing interests
Reported disclosure: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Study snapshot

DesignProspective pregnancy cohort
ModelHuman participants
Sample154 mother-infant pairs
InterventionMeasured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment
DurationPregnancy sampling at 16/36 weeks; infant testing at 18 months
EndpointsInfant cognitive development

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2012, this source examined human observational and biomarker research. It examined Measured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment. The source describes 154 mother-infant pairs.

Higher early-pregnancy maternal betaine and choline were associated with better infant cognitive-test scores.

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 early-pregnancy maternal betaine and choline were associated with better infant cognitive-test scores.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Infant cognitive development.

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.
  • 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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Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

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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