Betaine, also called trimethylglycine (TMG), is a compound found in beets, spinach and whole grains that the body uses to turn homocysteine into methionine. As a supplement it is marketed for homocysteine and for strength training; as a prescription drug (Cystadane) it treats the rare inherited disorder homocystinuria.
Also known as: TMG, trimethylglycine, betaine anhydrous.
Betaine has no intake value or upper limit. ODS says people typically get 100 to 300 mg a day from food, and the exercise studies used 2 to 5 g a day for up to 15 days. These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling. Betaine anhydrous is also FDA approved as Cystadane, a prescription powder that lowers high homocysteine in homocystinuria. Its label warns that in people with CBS deficiency it can raise methionine, and brain swelling (cerebral edema) has been reported; the most common side effects were nausea and stomach upset.
ODS says a small number of short studies in men, mostly bodybuilders and sometimes cyclists, tested betaine for strength and power, with conflicting results and modest improvements at best. Those studies reported no side effects, but ODS notes that the safety of betaine has not been adequately studied, and that more research is needed before any recommendation can be made.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for betaine that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one.
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