Tier 4 — mechanistic

Plasma phospholipid transfer protein activity is inversely associated with betaine in diabetic and non-diabetic subjects

R P F Dullaart, Erwin Garcia, Elias Jeyarajah, Eke G Gruppen, Margery A Connelly
Lipids in health and disease 2016 15(1):143

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 27581838
PubMed Central
PMC5007837
DOI
10.1186/s12944-016-0313-5
Funding
Reported funding/support: No financial support from an external agency was used for this study.
Competing interests
Reported disclosure: Competing interestsThis study is investigator initiated. EG, EJ and MAC are employees of Laboratory Corporation of America® Holdings (LabCorp). Betaine measurements were performed by LabCorp (Raleigh, North Carolina, USA) at no cost.

Study snapshot

DesignCross-sectional metabolic study
ModelHuman participants
Sample65 adults with type 2 diabetes and 55 without
InterventionMeasured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment
DurationSingle plasma analysis
EndpointsLipoprotein metabolism; PLTP

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2016, this source examined human observational and biomarker research. Design: Cross-sectional metabolic study. Sample/model: 65 adults with type 2 diabetes and 55 without. The exposure or intervention was Measured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment. Follow-up or treatment period: Single plasma analysis.

Higher betaine was associated with lower phospholipid-transfer-protein activity and a more favorable selected lipid pattern.

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

Continue with TMG Data Center

Continue with TMG for Weight Loss: Body-Fat Findings and Their Limits

Key findings

  • Higher betaine was associated with lower phospholipid-transfer-protein activity and a more favorable selected lipid pattern.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Lipoprotein metabolism; PLTP.
  • 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: Accessible full-text extract plus indexed bibliographic data. Missing method details, funding information or participant denominators are not inferred.

Related papers in the corpus

Tier 4
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
Tier 2
Metabolic Effects of Betaine: A Randomized Clinical Trial of Betaine Supplementation in Prediabetes
Ana Maria Grizales et al. · The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2018
Tier 4
High Betaine, a Trimethylamine N-Oxide Related Metabolite, Is Prospectively Associated with Low Future Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in the PREVEND Study
Erwin Garcia et al. · Journal of clinical medicine · 2019
Tier 4
Associations between Serum Betaine, Methyl-Metabolizing Genetic Polymorphisms and Risk of Incident Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Cohort Study in Community-Dwelling Chinese Adults
Xiaoting Lu et al. · Nutrients · 2022
Tier 4
Dietary Choline and Betaine and Risk of CVD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies
Katie A Meyer et al. · Nutrients · 2017
Tier 4
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

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