Tier 4 — mechanistic

Renal function is associated with plasma trimethylamine-N-oxide, choline, L-carnitine and betaine: a pilot study

Fei Guo, Qing Dai, Xiangchang Zeng, Yan Liu, Zhirong Tan, Hao Zhang, Dongsheng Ouyang
International urology and nephrology 2021 53(3):539-551

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 32945995
DOI
10.1007/s11255-020-02632-6
Funding
Indexed grant support: 2017ZX09304014 — National Development of Key Novel Drugs for Special Projects of China; 2019JJ50966 — Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province; 2017TP1037 — Hunan Key Laboratory for Bioanalysis of Complex Matrix Samples. The indexed list may not contain the complete funding declaration.
Competing interests
A competing-interest declaration was not available in the indexed record or accessible disclosure metadata.

Study snapshot

DesignCase-control kidney biomarker pilot
ModelHuman participants
SamplePatients with CKD and healthy comparators
InterventionMeasured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment
DurationCross-sectional blood assessment
EndpointsKidney function; Metabolite panel

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2021, this source examined human observational and biomarker research. Design: Case-control kidney biomarker pilot. Sample/model: Patients with CKD and healthy comparators. The exposure or intervention was Measured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment. Follow-up or treatment period: Cross-sectional blood assessment.

Betaine and related metabolites tracked kidney function, and a combined panel discriminated CKD in the studied sample.

Observational exposure analysis: residual confounding and reverse causation remain possible. Associations do not establish that betaine supplementation causes the same outcome. Diet recall, case selection or illness-related metabolite changes may introduce bias.

Continue with TMG Data Center

Continue with TMG Supplement: Trimethylglycine Benefits, Uses and Evidence

Key findings

  • Betaine and related metabolites tracked kidney function, and a combined panel discriminated CKD in the studied sample.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Kidney function; Metabolite panel.
  • 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. Diet recall, case selection or illness-related metabolite changes may introduce bias.
  • 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.

Related papers in the corpus

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
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 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
Tier 4
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