Can daily low-dose B vitamins plus betaine supplementation reduce plasma homocysteine concentrations in Chinese adults with hyperhomocysteinemia who are not exposed to mandatory folic acid fortification?
Betaine (Eur J Nutr 2023, PMID 36717385) — after 12 weeks, the supplement group had a significant reduction in plasma homocysteine concentrations compared to the placebo group (mean group difference -3.87; reduction rate 10.1%). Scope: over 12 weeks, and the abstract states no limitations.
Source: Eur J Nutr 2023, PMID 36717385 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: medium
Eur J Nutr · 2023 · PMID 36717385 · DOI 10.1007/s00394-023-03087-y
Daily low-dose B vitamins and betaine supplementation can reduce high homocysteine levels in Chinese adults.
The question
Can daily low-dose B vitamins plus betaine supplementation reduce plasma homocysteine concentrations in Chinese adults with hyperhomocysteinemia who are not exposed to mandatory folic acid fortification?
What they tested
Daily supplementation with low-dose B vitamins plus betaine will significantly reduce plasma homocysteine concentrations in Chinese adults with hyperhomocysteinemia.
How they did it
One hundred healthy Chinese adults with hyperhomocysteinemia were randomly assigned to either a supplement group (400 μg folic acid, 8 mg vitamin B, 6.4 μg vitamin B, and 1 g betaine daily) or a placebo group for 12 weeks. Fasting blood was collected at baseline, week 4, and week 12 to measure homocysteine, folate, vitamin B, and betaine concentrations. Generalized estimation equations were used for statistical analysis.
What they found
The supplement group showed significant increases in blood folate, vitamin B, and betaine concentrations, indicating good compliance. At baseline, homocysteine levels were similar between groups. After 12 weeks, the supplement group had a significant reduction in plasma homocysteine concentrations compared to the placebo group (mean group difference -3.87; reduction rate 10.1%). This decrease was associated with increased blood folate and betaine concentrations.
What it means
Daily supplementation with low-dose B vitamins plus betaine for 12 weeks effectively decreased plasma homocysteine concentrations in Chinese adults with hyperhomocysteinemia.
Limitations
The abstract does not explicitly state any limitations of the study.
Where the published abstract does not list limitations, we say so rather than inventing them. Read the full paper on PubMed before drawing conclusions.
The paper at a glance
| Magellan’s evidence label | methyl donor, homocysteine remethylation (our label for this citation — see PubMed for the paper’s own title and authors) |
|---|---|
| Journal | Eur J Nutr |
| Year | 2023 |
| PMID | 36717385 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1007/s00394-023-03087-y ↗ |
| Topic | Cardiovascular & vascular aging |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗
Where Magellan uses this paper
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Betaine (TMG)
Human trials and meta-analyses consistently show that oral betaine lowers fasting and post-methionine-load plasma homocysteine in a dose-dependent manner (about 1.2 µmol/L on average at 4 g/day and above), and a prescription form is FDA-approved for the rare genetic disorder homocystinuria;
Betaine, also called trimethylglycine (TMG), is a naturally occurring compound found in foods such as…
Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.
Molecules & mechanisms in this paper
Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). Can daily low-dose B vitamins plus betaine supplementation reduce plasma homocysteine concentrations in Chinese adults with hyperhomocysteinemia who are not exposed to mandatory folic acid fortification? [Plain-English summary of Eur J Nutr 2023, PMID 36717385, DOI 10.1007/s00394-023-03087-y]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/s132.html@misc{magellan_s132,
title = {Can daily low-dose B vitamins plus betaine supplementation reduce plasma homocysteine concentrations in Chinese adults with hyperhomocysteinemia who are not exposed to mandatory folic acid fortification?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/s132.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 36717385; DOI 10.1007/s00394-023-03087-y; Eur J Nutr 2023. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
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