Tier 2 — strong

Supplementation with Folic Acid, but Not Creatine, Increases Plasma Betaine, Decreases Plasma Dimethylglycine, and Prevents a Decrease in Plasma Choline in Arsenic-Exposed Bangladeshi Adults

Megan N Hall, Caitlin G Howe, Xinhua Liu, Marie A Caudill, Olga Malysheva, Vesna Ilievski, Angela M Lomax-Luu, Faruque Parvez, Abu B Siddique, Hasan Shahriar, Mohammad N Uddin, Tariqul Islam, Joseph H Graziano, Mary V Gamble
The Journal of nutrition 2016 146(5):1062-1067

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 27052531
PubMed Central
PMC4841924
DOI
10.3945/jn.115.227132
Funding
Indexed grant support: R01 ES017875 — NIEHS NIH HHS — United States; F31 ES025100 — NIEHS NIH HHS — United States; P42 ES010349 — NIEHS NIH HHS — United States; T32 ES007322 — NIEHS NIH HHS — United States; R01 CA133595 — NCI NIH HHS — United States; R00 ES018890 — NIEHS NIH HHS — United States; P30 ES009089 — NIEHS NIH HHS — United States. The indexed list may not contain the complete funding declaration.
Competing interests
Reported disclosure: Author disclosures: MN Hall, CG Howe, X Liu, MA Caudill, O Malysheva, V Ilievski, AM Lomax-Luu, F Parvez, AB Siddique, H Shahriar, MN Uddin, T Islam, JH Graziano, and MV Gamble, no conflicts of interest.

Study snapshot

DesignRCT secondary analysis
ModelHuman participants
Sample605 arsenic-exposed Bangladeshi adults
InterventionFolic acid 400 or 800 micrograms/day and/or creatine 3 g/day versus controls
Duration12 weeks
EndpointsBetaine; Choline; Dimethylglycine

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2016, this source examined food sources, absorption and nutrient metabolism. Design: RCT secondary analysis. Sample/model: 605 arsenic-exposed Bangladeshi adults. The exposure or intervention was Folic acid 400 or 800 micrograms/day and/or creatine 3 g/day versus controls. Follow-up or treatment period: 12 weeks.

Folic acid raised betaine and reduced dimethylglycine; creatine did not produce the same changes.

Betaine was an outcome rather than an administered treatment. This shares the FACT trial with later nutrient-status analyses.

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Key findings

  • Folic acid raised betaine and reduced dimethylglycine; creatine did not produce the same changes.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Betaine; Choline; Dimethylglycine.
  • The result applies to the tested exposure: Folic acid 400 or 800 micrograms/day and/or creatine 3 g/day versus controls; 12 weeks.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Betaine was an outcome rather than an administered treatment. This shares the FACT trial with later nutrient-status analyses.
  • 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: Indexed abstract and bibliographic data. Missing method details, funding information or participant denominators are not inferred.

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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