Tier 2 — strong

Effects of short-term betaine supplementation on muscle endurance and indices of endocrine function following acute high-intensity resistance exercise in young athletes

Hamid Arazi, Shima Aboutalebi, Behzad Taati, Jason M Cholewa, Darren G Candow
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2022 19(1):1-16

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 35599921
PubMed Central
PMC9116406
DOI
10.1080/15502783.2022.2041988
Funding
Reported funding/support: No sources of funding were used to assist in the preparation of this article.
Competing interests
Reported disclosure: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Study snapshot

DesignRandomized crossover controlled trial
ModelHuman participants
Sample10 adolescent male handball players
InterventionBetaine 2.5 g/day versus maltodextrin placebo
Duration14 days per treatment; 30-day washout
EndpointsMuscular endurance; Exercise hormones

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2022, this source examined exercise performance and body composition. Design: Randomized crossover controlled trial. Sample/model: 10 adolescent male handball players. The exposure or intervention was Betaine 2.5 g/day versus maltodextrin placebo. Follow-up or treatment period: 14 days per treatment; 30-day washout.

Participants completed more leg-press and bench-press repetitions with betaine, alongside changes in selected post-exercise hormones.

Only ten adolescent athletes; large effects in this small experiment require independent replication and do not establish long-term safety in adolescents.

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Key findings

  • Participants completed more leg-press and bench-press repetitions with betaine, alongside changes in selected post-exercise hormones.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Muscular endurance; Exercise hormones.
  • The result applies to the tested exposure: Betaine 2.5 g/day versus maltodextrin placebo; 14 days per treatment; 30-day washout.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Only ten adolescent athletes; large effects in this small experiment require independent replication and do not establish long-term safety in adolescents.
  • An individual controlled trial must be interpreted alongside its comparator, sample size, endpoint selection and independent replication. It does not validate a different commercial formulation or a general longevity claim.
  • 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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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