Betaine

    Betaine, also known as trimethylglycine, is an amino acid—so named because it was first discovered as a byproduct of sugar beets. It is also found in wheat, shellfish, and spinach. As stated previously, it can be produced through the oxidation of choline.

    Betaine is a major methyl donor and acts as an osmolyte in the cell to regulate cell volume. Betaine donates a methyl group, using the enzyme betaine homocysteine ​​methyltransferase (BHMT), to remethylate homocysteine ​​back to methionine. The product of this methyl transfer is dimethylglycine (DMG), which is then available for further methyl donation.

    In folate deficiency, this betaine pathway compensates to maintain the remethylation of Hcy. Patients with folate deficiency have elevated serum DMG levels, as would be expected with the increased use of betaine as a methyl source.

    Because the betaine pathway is a salvage pathway for remethylating Hcy, betaine is a significant determinant of plasma Hcy levels, particularly in folate deficiency. Betaine supplementation reduces Hcy after methionine loading.

    Betaine deficiencies have many clinical implications, including metabolic syndrome, diabetes, vascular disease, liver disease, cancer, and fetal abnormalities.45 Not surprisingly, betaine supplementation has been shown to be beneficial in many conditions associated with low methylation status and increased homocysteine, such as metabolic syndrome.

 Low betaine:

-Decreased dietary choline intake

 High betaine:

-Supplementation

-High dietary betaine intake (e.g., beets, wheat, shellfish, and spinach) or choline