Tier 4 — mechanistic

The Association of Dietary Choline and Betaine With the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Daniel T Dibaba, Karen C Johnson, Anna M Kucharska-Newton, Katie Meyer, Steven H Zeisel, Aurelian Bidulescu
Diabetes care 2020 43(11):2840-2846

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 32900787
PubMed Central
PMC7576425
DOI
10.2337/dc20-0733
Funding
Reported funding/support: Center for Scientific Reviewhttps://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100005440HL07055Center for Scientific Reviewhttps://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100005440DK55865
Competing interests
A competing-interest declaration was not available in the indexed record or accessible disclosure metadata.

Study snapshot

DesignProspective cohort
ModelHuman participants
Sample13440 ARIC participants; 1396 incident diabetes cases
InterventionHabitual dietary choline and/or betaine intake; no randomized TMG treatment
DurationMedian 9 years
EndpointsDiabetes incidence

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2020, this source examined human observational and biomarker research. Design: Prospective cohort. Sample/model: 13440 ARIC participants; 1396 incident diabetes cases. The exposure or intervention was Habitual dietary choline and/or betaine intake; no randomized TMG treatment. Follow-up or treatment period: Median 9 years.

Dietary betaine was not significantly associated with type 2 diabetes incidence overall.

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

  • Dietary betaine was not significantly associated with type 2 diabetes incidence overall.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Diabetes incidence.
  • 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: Indexed abstract and bibliographic data. Missing method details, funding information or participant denominators are not inferred.

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Metabolic Effects of Betaine: A Randomized Clinical Trial of Betaine Supplementation in Prediabetes
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High Betaine, a Trimethylamine N-Oxide Related Metabolite, Is Prospectively Associated with Low Future Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in the PREVEND Study
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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
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Dietary Choline and Betaine and Risk of CVD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies
Katie A Meyer et al. · Nutrients · 2017
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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

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