Tier 2 — strong

Serum betaine is inversely associated with low lean mass mainly in men in a Chinese middle-aged and elderly community-dwelling population

Bi-Xia Huang, Ying-Ying Zhu, Xu-Ying Tan, Qiu-Ye Lan, Chun-Lei Li, Yu-Ming Chen, Hui-Lian Zhu
The British journal of nutrition 2016 115(12):2181-2188

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 27079329
DOI
10.1017/S0007114516001380
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

DesignProspective community study
ModelHuman participants
Sample1996 recruited; 1590 with body-composition measurements
InterventionMeasured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment
DurationMean 3.2 years
EndpointsLean mass; Sex differences

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2016, this source examined human observational and biomarker research. Design: Prospective community study. Sample/model: 1996 recruited; 1590 with body-composition measurements. The exposure or intervention was Measured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment. Follow-up or treatment period: Mean 3.2 years.

Higher circulating betaine was associated with a greater lean-mass percentage and lower prevalence of low lean mass, particularly in men.

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 circulating betaine was associated with a greater lean-mass percentage and lower prevalence of low lean mass, particularly in men.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Lean mass; Sex differences.
  • The result applies to the tested exposure: Measured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment; Mean 3.2 years.

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.
  • 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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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