Tier 4 — mechanistic

Plasma choline and betaine correlate with serum folate, plasma S-adenosyl-methionine and S-adenosyl-homocysteine in healthy volunteers

Apolline Imbard, Yvo M Smulders, Rob Barto, Desiree E C Smith, Robert M Kok, Cornelis Jakobs, Henk J Blom
Clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine 2013 51(3):683-692

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 23095202
DOI
10.1515/cclm-2012-0302
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 biomarker study
ModelHuman participants
Sample109 healthy volunteers
InterventionMeasured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment
DurationSingle blood and methylation assessment
EndpointsFolate; Homocysteine; SAM and SAH

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2013, this source examined human observational and biomarker research. Design: Cross-sectional biomarker study. Sample/model: 109 healthy volunteers. The exposure or intervention was Measured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment. Follow-up or treatment period: Single blood and methylation assessment.

Betaine correlated with folate and homocysteine-related measures, illustrating interactions across one-carbon pathways.

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

  • Betaine correlated with folate and homocysteine-related measures, illustrating interactions across one-carbon pathways.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Folate; Homocysteine; SAM and SAH.
  • 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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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