Tier 4 — mechanistic

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, Rongzhu Huang, Shuyi Li, Aiping Fang, Yuming Chen, Si Chen, Fan Wang, Xinlei Lin, Zhaoyan Liu, Huilian Zhu
Nutrients 2022 14(2):362

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 35057543
PubMed Central
PMC8778868
DOI
10.3390/nu14020362
Funding
Indexed grant support: 81773415 — National Natural Science Foundation of China; 201704020035 — the Key Project of Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou, China; 2020A1515110682 — Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation; 2020M683135 — China Postdoctoral Science Foundation. The indexed list may not contain the complete funding declaration.
Competing interests
Reported disclosure: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Study snapshot

DesignProspective cohort
ModelHuman participants
Sample1565 Chinese adults without diabetes; 213 incident cases
InterventionMeasured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment
DurationMedian 8.9 years
EndpointsDiabetes incidence; Genotype interactions

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2022, this source examined human observational and biomarker research. Design: Prospective cohort. Sample/model: 1565 Chinese adults without diabetes; 213 incident cases. The exposure or intervention was Measured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment. Follow-up or treatment period: Median 8.9 years.

Higher serum betaine was associated with lower diabetes risk, with exploratory interactions involving selected MTHFR variants.

Observational exposure analysis: residual confounding and reverse causation remain possible. Associations do not establish that betaine supplementation causes the same outcome.

Continue with TMG Data Center

Continue with TMG for Weight Loss: Body-Fat Findings and Their Limits

Key findings

  • Higher serum betaine was associated with lower diabetes risk, with exploratory interactions involving selected MTHFR variants.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Diabetes incidence; Genotype interactions.
  • 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.

Related papers in the corpus

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 2
Metabolic Effects of Betaine: A Randomized Clinical Trial of Betaine Supplementation in Prediabetes
Ana Maria Grizales et al. · The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2018
Tier 4
High Betaine, a Trimethylamine N-Oxide Related Metabolite, Is Prospectively Associated with Low Future Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in the PREVEND Study
Erwin Garcia et al. · Journal of clinical medicine · 2019
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
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