Tier 2 — strong

Urinary betaine/creatinine ratio enhances diagnostic accuracy of PLA2R-Ab in idiopathic membranous nephropathy

Jin Wang, Long Shao, Baoxu Lin, Ying Xi, Yangyang Jiang, Xiaosong Qin
BMC nephrology 2025 27(1):35

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 41361423
PubMed Central
PMC12801673
DOI
10.1186/s12882-025-04650-x
Funding
Reported funding/support: Xingliao Talent PlanNo.YXMJ-LJ-09QinXiaosong
Competing interests
Reported disclosure: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This retrospective study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Ethics Committee of Shengjing Hospital, China Medical University (Approval No. 2021PS781K). Fasting morning urine samples were collected from inpatients of the Department of Nephrology who strictly met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. All patient clinical data were de-identified to fully protect privacy. Notably, the samples used were residual specimens after routine clinical diagnosis, and the data were existing information from routine medical records. The study did not affect patients’ routine diagnosis and treatment: no additional tests/examinations were required for participation, and no harm was caused to patients. Thus, informed consent was waived by the Ethics Committee. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Study snapshot

DesignDiagnostic biomarker study
ModelHuman participants
SampleValidation: 53 membranous-nephropathy patients, 30 healthy controls, 23 IgA-nephropathy and 7 minimal-change patients
InterventionMeasured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment
DurationCross-sectional discovery and validation
EndpointsUrinary biomarkers; Kidney diagnosis

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2025, this source examined human observational and biomarker research. Design: Diagnostic biomarker study. Sample/model: Validation: 53 membranous-nephropathy patients, 30 healthy controls, 23 IgA-nephropathy and 7 minimal-change patients. The exposure or intervention was Measured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment. Follow-up or treatment period: Cross-sectional discovery and validation.

Urinary betaine/creatinine improved discrimination when combined with PLA2R antibodies, but broader clinical validation remained necessary.

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

  • Urinary betaine/creatinine improved discrimination when combined with PLA2R antibodies, but broader clinical validation remained necessary.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Urinary biomarkers; Kidney diagnosis.
  • The result applies to the tested exposure: Measured betaine status and related metabolites; no randomized TMG treatment; Cross-sectional discovery and validation.

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.
  • 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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Elham Sharifi-Zahabi et al. · Journal of diabetes research · 2026
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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
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Jiyoung Youn et al. · Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2019

Editorial review

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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