Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34067313›Full record

ReviewBiology2021

Beneficial Effects of Betaine: A Comprehensive Review.

Madan Kumar Arumugam, Matthew C Paal, Terrence M Donohue, Murali Ganesan, Natalia A Osna, Kusum K Kharbanda

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Biology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 149 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
149citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
24.7field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

149 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 267 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Trial
  4. Trial
  5. Trial
  6. NMR in biomedicine · 2026
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Complementary hyperpolarizedNpj imaging · 2026
    Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Betaine Alters the Interplay of the Adenosine andInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article

89 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Madan Kumar ArumugamResearch Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE 68105, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0567-7857
Matthew C PaalResearch Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE 68105, USA.
Terrence M DonohueResearch Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE 68105, USA.
Murali GanesanResearch Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE 68105, USA.
Natalia A OsnaResearch Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE 68105, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7498-0556
Kusum K KharbandaResearch Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE 68105, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7759-8889
VA Nebraska Western Iowa Health Care System · US

Funding

Extracellular vesicles as the vehicles for promoting liver injury induced by HIV and alcoholR01AA027189 · NIAAA · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER · PI OSNA, NATALIA ALEKSANDR, POLUEKTOVA, LARISA Y · 2019 to 2023
$2.6M
Impaired phospholipid methylation results in decreased lipid droplet lipolysis: Role in hepatic steatosisR01AA026723 · NIAAA · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER · PI KHARBANDA, KUSUM K. · 2018 to 2022
$1.6M
Ethanol suppresses HBV peptide-MHC Class I presentation on hepatocytesK01AA026864 · NIAAA · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER · PI GANESAN, MURALI · 2018 to 2022
$684k
Impaired methylation alters lipid droplet dynamics in liver and adipose tissue: Role in hepatic steatosisI01BX004053 · VA · OMAHA VA MEDICAL CENTER · PI KHARBANDA, KUSUM K. · 2019 to 2023
–
BLRD VA I01 BX004053NIAAA NIH HHS K01 AA026864NIAAA NIH HHS R01 AA026723NIH HHS R01 AA026723U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs BX004053
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Medicinal herbs and many food ingredients possess favorable biological properties that contribute to their therapeutic activities. One such natural product is betaine, a stable, nontoxic natural substance that is present in animals, plants, and microorganisms. Betaine is also endogenously synthesized through the metabolism of choline or exogenously consumed through dietary intake. Betaine mainly functions as (i) an osmolyte and (ii) a methyl-group donor. This review describes the major physiological effects of betaine in whole-body health and its ability to protect against both liver- as well as non-liver-related diseases and conditions. Betaine's role in preventing/attenuating both alcohol-induced and metabolic-associated liver diseases has been well studied and is extensively reviewed here. Several studies show that betaine protects against the development of alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis, apoptosis, and accumulation of damaged proteins. Additionally, it can significantly prevent/attenuate progressive liver injury by preserving gut integrity and adipose function. The protective effects are primarily associated with the regulation of methionine metabolism through removing homocysteine and maintaining cellular SAM:SAH ratios. Similarly, betaine prevents metabolic-associated fatty liver disease and its progression. In addition, betaine has a neuroprotective role, preserves myocardial function, and prevents pancreatic steatosis. Betaine also attenuates oxidant stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, inflammation, and cancer development. To conclude, betaine exerts significant therapeutic and biological effects that are potentially beneficial for alleviating a diverse number of human diseases and conditions.

Indexed as

adipose tissuealcoholbetainediethepatic steatosismethylationS-adenosylhomocysteineS-adenosylmethionine

Identifiers

PMID34067313
PMCPMC8224793
OpenAlexW3165161233

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.