Tier 4 — mechanistic

The association of serum betaine concentrations with the risk of new-onset cancers: results from two independent nested case-control studies

Hailun Xie, Kangping Zhang, Yaping Wei, Guotian Ruan, Heyang Zhang, Shuqun Li, Yun Song, Ping Chen, Lishun Liu, Binyan Wang, Hanping Shi
Nutrition & metabolism 2023 20(1):46

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 37904202
PubMed Central
PMC10614375
DOI
10.1186/s12986-023-00755-y
Funding
Reported funding/support: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100012166National Key Research and Development Program of China2022YFC2009600
Competing interests
Reported disclosure: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Study snapshot

DesignTwo nested case-control studies
ModelHuman participants
SampleDiscovery: 1391 cases and 1391 controls; validation: 114 per group
InterventionMeasured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment
DurationProspective cohort-based case ascertainment
EndpointsCancer incidence; Nonlinear associations

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2023, this source examined human observational and biomarker research. Design: Two nested case-control studies. Sample/model: Discovery: 1391 cases and 1391 controls; validation: 114 per group. The exposure or intervention was Measured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment. Follow-up or treatment period: Prospective cohort-based case ascertainment.

Higher serum betaine was associated with greater total and lung-cancer risk, with a nonlinear pattern for digestive cancers.

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.

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Key findings

  • Higher serum betaine was associated with greater total and lung-cancer risk, with a nonlinear pattern for digestive cancers.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Cancer incidence; Nonlinear associations.
  • 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: 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