Tier 4 — mechanistic

Higher serum choline and betaine levels are associated with better body composition in male but not female population

Xiang Gao, Edward Randell, Haicheng Zhou, Guang Sun
PloS one 2018 13(2):e0193114

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 29462191
PubMed Central
PMC5819804
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0193114
Funding
Reported funding/support: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000024Canadian Institutes of Health ResearchMOP192552http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4300-0134SunGuanghttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001809National Natural Science Foundation of China31371757GaoXiangState Key Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China31330060GaoXiangShandong province key R & D projects (key technologies)2016ZDJS06A01GaoXiangThe People’s Livelihoods Science and Technology Project of Qingdao, Shandong Province, China17-3-3-68-nshGaoXianghttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004543China Scholarship Council[2014]3026GaoXiangThis project has been funded by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) (operating grant: MOP192552 to GS), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31371757 to XG), State Key Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31330060 to XG), Shandong province key R & D projects (key technologies) (NO.2016ZDJS06A01 to XG), The People’s Livelihoods Science and Technology Project of Qingdao, Shandong Province, China (NO.17-3-3-68-nsh to XG) and China Scholarship Council (No. [2014]3026 to XG). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing interests
Reported disclosure: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Study snapshot

DesignCross-sectional study
ModelHuman participants
Sample1081 CODING participants
InterventionMeasured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment
DurationDiet and DXA assessment
EndpointsBody composition; Sex differences

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2018, this source examined human observational and biomarker research. Design: Cross-sectional study. Sample/model: 1081 CODING participants. The exposure or intervention was Measured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment. Follow-up or treatment period: Diet and DXA assessment.

Higher serum betaine was associated with lower adiposity measures mainly in men, with weaker or absent findings in women.

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 serum betaine was associated with lower adiposity measures mainly in men, with weaker or absent findings in women.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Body composition; Sex differences.
  • 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.

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Association of choline and betaine with the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality: Meta-analysis
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Jiyoung Youn et al. · Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2019

Editorial review

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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