Trimethylglycine / Betaine

Story

Connected to · 3

synergy · 3

Choline
Choline and betaine are the two ends of one methyl ledger. In the liver choline is oxidized to betaine (a one-way step with no route back), and betaine hands over its methyl group to turn homocysteine back into methionine. Run the other way: when choline intake is short, the liver takes the backup line (PEMT) and makes choline-containing phospholipid itself, using up three methyl groups per molecule. So not eating enough choline and a strain on methylation are two descriptions of the same thing in the liver.
Vitamin B12
Betaine (TMG) is the methyl donor on the backup route. When the main route is limited by low B12 or folate, or by an MTHFR gene variant, betaine can take over and turn homocysteine back into methionine. In trials, betaine supplements lowered fasting homocysteine in healthy people.
Folate
There are two routes for turning homocysteine back into methionine: one depends on folate and vitamin B12, and in the other betaine (TMG) hands over a methyl group directly. When the demand for methylation is high, the two routes run in parallel, and neither replaces the other.

Read full story

Stop 1/5

What betaine is, where it's from

EVIDENCEREVIEW 2 · RCT 1

READ THE ORIGINAL

Betaine, also called (trimethylglycine), was first extracted from sugar beet. In the body it holds two unrelated jobs: it helps cells withstand dehydration and high salt (a kind of moisture shield), and it works as a methyl courier, converting a metabolic leftover called back into a useful amino acid, methionine.

The body gets betaine in two ways. One is eating it: it is in wheat germ, whole wheat, spinach, beetroot, quinoa, scallops and shrimp. The other is making it: mitochondria oxidize choline step by step, and what comes out at the end is betaine.

So choline is not only raw material for cell membranes and a neurotransmitter; it is also upstream of betaine (see Choline). Part of the choline you eat ends up doing its work as betaine. Healthy people who eat enough whole grains, spinach and eggs generally do not need to take extra.

Educational content, not medical advice — consult a clinician.

Back

Trimethylglycine / Betaine

Story

Connected to · 3

synergy · 3

Choline
Choline and betaine are the two ends of one methyl ledger. In the liver choline is oxidized to betaine (a one-way step with no route back), and betaine hands over its methyl group to turn homocysteine back into methionine. Run the other way: when choline intake is short, the liver takes the backup line (PEMT) and makes choline-containing phospholipid itself, using up three methyl groups per molecule. So not eating enough choline and a strain on methylation are two descriptions of the same thing in the liver.
Vitamin B12
Betaine (TMG) is the methyl donor on the backup route. When the main route is limited by low B12 or folate, or by an MTHFR gene variant, betaine can take over and turn homocysteine back into methionine. In trials, betaine supplements lowered fasting homocysteine in healthy people.
Folate
There are two routes for turning homocysteine back into methionine: one depends on folate and vitamin B12, and in the other betaine (TMG) hands over a methyl group directly. When the demand for methylation is high, the two routes run in parallel, and neither replaces the other.

Read full story

Stop 1/5

What betaine is, where it's from

EVIDENCEREVIEW 2 · RCT 1

READ THE ORIGINAL

Betaine, also called (trimethylglycine), was first extracted from sugar beet. In the body it holds two unrelated jobs: it helps cells withstand dehydration and high salt (a kind of moisture shield), and it works as a methyl courier, converting a metabolic leftover called back into a useful amino acid, methionine.

The body gets betaine in two ways. One is eating it: it is in wheat germ, whole wheat, spinach, beetroot, quinoa, scallops and shrimp. The other is making it: mitochondria oxidize choline step by step, and what comes out at the end is betaine.

So choline is not only raw material for cell membranes and a neurotransmitter; it is also upstream of betaine (see Choline). Part of the choline you eat ends up doing its work as betaine. Healthy people who eat enough whole grains, spinach and eggs generally do not need to take extra.

Educational content, not medical advice — consult a clinician.