Trial reportHepatology (Baltimore, Md.)2026
Pilot trials of oral betaine in participants with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and elevated alanine aminotransferase.
Trial report in Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Prenatal Methyl Nutrient Availability Shapes Mesolimbic Dopaminergic Circuitry and Systemic Inflammation in Wistar Rat Offspring of Both Sexes.Journal of neurochemistry · 2026Article
- A novel serum metabolite classifier for identifying Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) integrating metabolomics and machine learning.BMC gastroenterology · 2026Article
- Hepatocyte-Specific Deletion of Betaine-Homocysteine Methyltransferase Disrupts Methionine Metabolism and Promotes the Spontaneous Development of Hepatic Steatosis.Biomolecules · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsBetaine, 20 g/day for 12 months, reduced liver injury in several trials in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Our aim was to determine the safety and efficacy of lower doses of betaine in clinically diagnosed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and an elevated ALT. APPROACH AND
resultsWe performed 3 pilot trials in participants with clinically diagnosed non-cirrhotic MASLD and ALT ≥50 U/L. In the first trial, 44 participants were randomized to 4 or 8 g daily for 12 weeks. In the second trial, 10 participants received 1 g/day for 24 weeks, while 16 participants received 2 g/day for 24 weeks in the third trial. The primary outcome was the percent decline in the abnormal component of ALT (ie, ALT >30 for males or >25 for females). Other outcomes included improvement in absolute ALT and AST, and other serologic tests of liver injury, including metabolomics-advanced steatohepatitis fibrosis (MASEF) score, cytokeratin 18, and pro-C3. Baseline and end-of-treatment data were compared with a paired t test. At baseline, more than 75% of participants had NASH when tested by the MASEF score. ALT, AST, cytokeratin 18, pro-C3, and MASEF score decreased significantly among participants receiving 8, 4, and 2 g, but not 1 g. High-density lipoprotein increased in the 4 and 2 g cohorts; low-density lipoprotein did not change. Approximately 35% reported mild, transient gastrointestinal symptoms.
conclusionsBetaine 8, 4, and 2 g/day for 12-24 weeks significantly reduced ALT and other serologic markers of liver injury among participants with clinically defined MASLD and an elevated ALT.
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Registered trials
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.