Tier 4 — mechanistic

Maternal plasma choline and betaine in late pregnancy and child growth up to age 8 years in the KOALA Birth Cohort Study

Carolina Moltó-Puigmartí, Rima Obeid, Monique Mommers, Simone Jpm Eussen, Carel Thijs
The American journal of clinical nutrition 2021 114(4):1438-1446

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 34113974
PubMed Central
PMC8488875
DOI
10.1093/ajcn/nqab177
Funding
Reported funding/support: ZonMw10.13039/501100001826 2100.0090 The Netherlands Asthma Foundation 3.2.03.483.2.07.022
Competing interests
A competing-interest declaration was not available in the indexed record or accessible disclosure metadata.

Study snapshot

DesignProspective birth cohort
ModelHuman participants
Sample1331 pregnant women and offspring
InterventionMeasured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment
DurationChild growth followed to age 6-8
EndpointsChild growth; Maternal betaine

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2021, this source examined human observational and biomarker research. It examined Measured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment. The source describes 1331 pregnant women and offspring.

Higher late-pregnancy betaine was associated with greater early weight gain and some later overweight measures, particularly in boys.

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 late-pregnancy betaine was associated with greater early weight gain and some later overweight measures, particularly in boys.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Child growth; Maternal betaine.

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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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