Tier 4 — mechanistic

Maternal choline status during pregnancy, but not that of betaine, is related to antenatal mental well-being: The growing up in Singapore toward healthy outcomes cohort

Linde van Lee, Phaik Ling Quah, Seang Mei Saw, Fabian K P Yap, Keith M Godfrey, Yap Seng Chong, Michael J Meaney, Helen Chen, Mary Foong-Fong Chong
Depression and anxiety 2017 34(10):877-887

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 28471488
PubMed Central
PMC5553109
DOI
10.1002/da.22637
Funding
Indexed grant support: MC_U147574222 — Medical Research Council — United Kingdom; MC_U147574226 — Medical Research Council — United Kingdom; MC_UP_A620_1017 — Medical Research Council — United Kingdom; MC_UU_12011/4 — Medical Research Council — United Kingdom. The indexed list may not contain the complete funding declaration.
Competing interests
Reported disclosure: Potential conflict of interest: KMG and YSC have received reimbursement for speaking at conferences sponsored by companies selling nutritional products. These authors are part of an academic consortium that has received research funding from Abbot Nutrition, Nestec, and Danone. None of the other authors report any potential conflict of interest.

Study snapshot

DesignPregnancy cohort analysis
ModelHuman participants
Sample949 antenatal and 689 postnatal assessments
InterventionMeasured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment
Duration26-28 weeks gestation and 3 months postpartum
EndpointsPerinatal mental well-being

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2017, this source examined human observational and biomarker research. It examined Measured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment. The source describes 949 antenatal and 689 postnatal assessments.

Maternal betaine was not associated with antenatal depression/anxiety or postnatal mental well-being.

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

  • Maternal betaine was not associated with antenatal depression/anxiety or postnatal mental well-being.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Perinatal mental well-being.

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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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