Betaine(TMG) the methyl donor.
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Betaine supplementation decreases plasma homocysteine in healthy adult participants: a meta-analysis
Abstract
Objective
Betaine supplementation has been shown to be an effective agent for decreasing plasma homocysteine in healthy adults. Studies in healthy volunteers show that 6 g/d of betaine lowers plasma homocysteine concentrations by 5% to 20%. The purpose of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials that used daily betaine supplementation to identify the range in betaine's effects on lowering homocysteine.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3610948/Methods
Five randomized controlled trials published between 2002 and 2010 were identified using MEDLINE and a manual search. All 5 studies used health adult participants who were supplemented with at least 4 g/d of betaine for between 6 and 24 weeks. A meta-analysis was carried out using a random-effects model, and the overall effect size was calculated for changes in plasma homocysteine.Results
The pooled estimate of effect for betaine supplementation on plasma homocysteine was a reduction of 1.23 μmol/L, which was statistically significant (95% confidence interval, − 1.61 to − 0.85; P = .01).Conclusion
Supplementation with at least 4g/d of betaine for a minimum of 6 weeks can lower plasma homocysteine.Betaine (TMG) improves kidney function in rats and reduces antidiuretic hormone (ADH) levels. i.e. TMG reduces water weight in rats
Abstract
To investigate the role of betaine in the intestinal functions of high-salt stressed rats, 32 four-week-old male Sprague–Dawley rats weighing 128.0 (SD 5.06) g were randomly allotted to four groups. The control group was fed with standard chow diet (0.4% NaCl), while the treatment groups were fed a high-salt diet (4.0% NaCl) supplemented with betaine at 0.0%, 0.5%, and 1.0%, respectively. The experiment lasted 28 days. The results showed that rats in the high-salt stressed groups had a significant increase in both water intake and kidney index (p < 0.05). The level of cortisol (COR) was increased in the high-salt stressed rats (p < 0.05), and returned to normal levels with betaine supplementation (p < 0.05). Aldosterone (ALD) was decreased in all high-salt diet groups (p < 0.05). Betaine supplementation decreased antidiuretic hormone (ADH) levels significantly (p < 0.05). High salt stress decreased the activities of amylase, lipase, trypsin, and chymotrypsin in the small intestinal luminal contents (p < 0.05), however, these activities increased with betaine supplementation (p < 0.05). The gut villus height of small intestine was significantly decreased in the high-salt diet group (p < 0.05). However, they were higher in the betaine supplementation groups than in the control group (p < 0.05). A similar result was observed in the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (p < 0.05). Both alpha diversity indexes and beta diversity indexes showed that high salt stress decreased the diversity of intestinal microbiota, while supplementation with betaine counteracted the negative effect. In conclusion, the results indicate that betaine improves intestinal function by enhancing the digestive enzymes, ameliorating intestinal morphology, and enriching intestinal microbiota of high-salt stressed rats.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6073560/Effects of short-term betaine supplementation on muscle endurance and indices of endocrine function following acute high-intensity resistance exercise in young athletes
Abstract
Objective: This study examined the effects of short-term betaine supplementation on muscle endurance, plasma lactate, testosterone and cortisol levels, and the testosterone to cortisol (T/C) ratio in response to acute resistance exercise (RE).Method: Using a double-blind, crossover study design, 10 handball players (age ± SD = 16 ± 1 yrs) without prior-structured RE experience performed a high-intensity RE session (leg press followed by bench press; 5 sets to volitional fatigue using 80% baseline 1 repetition maximum (1RM)), before and after 14 days of either placebo (maltodextrin) or betaine (2.5 g·d-1) supplementation. A 30-day washout period separated each treatment. 48 h prior to testing sessions, participants recorded their food intake and did not perform strenuous exercise. Venous blood was sampled before supplementation, and before and after each RE session.
Results: After betaine supplementation, participants performed more repetitions (p < 0.001) during the leg press (Betaine: 35.8 ± 4.3; Placebo: 24.8 ± 3.6, Cohen's d = 2.77) and bench press (Betaine: 36.3 ± 2.6; Placebo: 26.1 ± 3.5, Cohen's d = 3.34). Betaine resulted in lower post-exercise cortisol (Betaine: 7.6 ± 1.7; Placebo: 13 ± 3.4 µg.dL-1, p = 0.003, generalized eta squared ( η2G ) = 0.49) and lactate (Betaine: 5.2 ± 0.3; Placebo: 6 ± 0.3 mmol.L-1, p < 0.001, η2G = 0.96) and higher total testosterone (Betaine: 15.2 ± 2.2; Placebo: 8.7 ± 1.7 ng.mL-1, p < 0.001, η2G = 0.87) and T/C ratio (Betaine: 0.21 ± 0.05; Placebo: 0.07 ± 0.02, p < 0.001, = 0.82).
Conclusions: Two weeks of betaine supplementation improved upper- and lower-body muscle endurance and influenced indices of endocrine function following an acute session of high-intensity RE in adolescent handball players.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35599921/Betaine improves nonalcoholic fatty liver and associated hepatic insulin resistance: a potential mechanism for hepatoprotection by betaine
Abstract
Nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) is a common liver disease, associated with insulin resistance. Betaine has been tested as a treatment for NAFL in animal models and in small clinical trials, with mixed results. The present study aims to determine whether betaine treatment would prevent or treat NAFL in mice and to understand how betaine reverses hepatic insulin resistance. Male mice were fed a moderate high-fat diet (mHF) containing 20% of calories from fat for 7 (mHF) or 8 (mHF8) mo without betaine, with betaine (mHFB), or with betaine for the last 6 wk (mHF8B). Control mice were fed standard chow containing 9% of calories from fat for 7 mo (SF) or 8 mo (SF8). HepG2 cells were made insulin resistant and then studied with or without betaine. mHF mice had higher body weight, fasting glucose, insulin, and triglycerides and greater hepatic fat than SF mice. Betaine reduced fasting glucose, insulin, triglycerides, and hepatic fat. In the mHF8B group, betaine treatment significantly improved insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis. Hepatic betaine content significantly decreased in mHF and increased significantly in mHFB. Betaine treatment reversed the inhibition of hepatic insulin signaling in mHF and in insulin-resistant HepG2 cells, including normalization of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) phosphorylation and of downstream signaling pathways for gluconeogenesis and glycogen synthesis. Betaine treatment prevents and treats fatty liver in a moderate high-dietary-fat model of NAFL in mice. Betaine also reverses hepatic insulin resistance in part by increasing the activation of IRS1, with resultant improvement in downstream signaling pathways.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2993168/ -
@AlphaZance said in Betaine(TMG) the methyl donor.:
Betaine supplementation has been shown to be an effective agent for decreasing plasma homocysteine in healthy adults.
Hi,
I take TMG with HD vit B (B1 B2 B3 B6) to get a methyl donor. But I’ve cut it to 50% (only 500 mg betaine remaining).
Why? I had an interesting conversation on this link, establishing that too much of TMG could be problematic.
When lowering homocysteine high enough with a high dose TMG, there is not enough cystine and cysteine remaining to ensure metabolic functions. A lack of cysteine messes with your glutathione synthesis and a lack of sulfate messes with your hormones.
https://bioenergetic.forum/post/38260 (p1 in “B-complex and or Multi recommendation?”)
CrumblingCookie speaking.
=> HD TMG or choline supplements impact cysteine levels on an indirect way -
@LucH You get enough cysteine from protein foods.
Cysteine supplementation reverses methionine restriction effects on rat adiposity: significance of stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20871132/Glutathione (GSH) drives cancer metastasis by promoting cell survival under hypoxia
https://haidut.me/?p=2816
https://doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-24-1556
