View source for Trimethylglycine (TMG)

Trimethylglycine, commonly known as TMG or betaine, is an amino acid derivative that naturally occurs in various plant and animal sources. With its three methyl groups attached to a glycine molecule, TMG has garnered attention in both the dietary supplement market and the scientific community due to its role as a methyl donor in vital biochemical processes.

Although trimethylglycine supplementation decreases the amount of [[wikipedia:Adipose_tissue|adipose tissue]] in pigs, research on human subjects has shown no effect on body weight, body composition, or resting energy expenditure when used in conjunction with a low calorie diet.<ref name="pmid12399266">{{cite journal|last1=Schwab|volume=76|doi-access=free|doi=10.1093/ajcn/76.5.961|pmid=12399266|date=November 2002|pages=961–967|issue=5|journal=Am. J. Clin. Nutr.|first1=U.|title=Betaine supplementation decreases plasma homocysteine concentrations but does not affect body weight, body composition, or resting energy expenditure in human subjects|display-authors=etal|first3=L.|last3=Toppinen|first2=A.|last2=Törrönen|title-link=doi}}</ref>

= Protective Effects =
Protective effects of TMG in experimental animal models, cell culture systems, and clinical studies. Removed ADL and MAFLD
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Therapeutic Effects of TMG Administration
! colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Experimental Model
! colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Authors
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male Wistar rats; C57BL/6 mice; Balb/c mice
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[23,27,83,115,121,157,158,160]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male Wistar rats; hepatocytes; male C57BL/6 mice
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[23,60,61,81,82,83,84,86,88,91,92,117,119,121,234,235]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Restores activities of various liver methyltransferases (PEMT, ICMT, PIMT, PRMT) to increase phosphatidylcholine levels, preventing apoptosis and accumulation of damaged proteins, and restoring proteasome activity
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male Wistar rats; hepatocytes
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[23,90,91,92]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male C57BL/6 mice
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[121]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male Wistar rats
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[133]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male C57BL/6 mice
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[83]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male Wistar rats
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[61]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Mice
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[123]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Prevents elevations of CD14, TNFα, COX2, GADD45β, LITAF, JAK3, TLR2, TLR4, IL1β, and PDCD4 and NOS2 mRNA levels in alcoholic liver injury
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male Wistar rats
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[115,133]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male Wistar rats
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[27,115,121]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male C57BL/6 mice
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[28]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |C57BL/6 mice
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[161]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male Sprague-Dawley rats
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[162]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male C57BL/6 mice; rats
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[120,161]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Mice
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[203]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male Sprague-Dawley rats
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[163].
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Human trials
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[45,165,166,167]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male C57BL/6 mice
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[194]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Reduces the inflammatory adipokines, IL6, TNFα, and leptin in human adipocytes
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Human visceral adipocytes
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[204]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Inhibits lipid peroxidation, hepatic inflammation, and expression of transforming growth factor-β1 in liver fibrosis
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male chicks
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[148]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Suppresses alcoholic liver fibrosis
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Rats
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[116]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Prevents the formation of Mallory–Denk bodies through epigenetic means by attenuating the decrease of MAT1A, SAHH, BHMT, and AMD1 expression
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |C3H male mice
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[138]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Reverses the inhibitory effects of acetaldehyde on IFN signaling and decreases de-methylation of STAT1 by JMJD6
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |HCV-infected Huh7.5 CYP2E1 (+) cells and human hepatocytes
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[141,143]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Enhances expression of PPARα and elevates fatty acid catabolism
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male C57BL/6 and ApoE−/− mice
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[158].
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Inhibits lipogenic activity in liver by activation of AMPK
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |ApoE−/− mice; Male C57BL/6 mice
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[159,160]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Regulates colonic fluid balance
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Rats
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[21,200]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Improves intestinal barrier function and maintains the gut microbiota
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Porcine epithelial cells; Caco-2 cells; rat small intestinal cell line IEC-18
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[22,197,198]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Activates GI digestive enzymes and ameliorates intestinal morphology and microbiota dysbiosis
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male Sprague Dawley rats
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[200]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Attenuates alcoholic-induced pancreatic steatosis
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male Wistar rats
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[125]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Associated with resilience to anhedonia and prevention of stress-related psychiatric disorders
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male C57BL/6 mice
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[218]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Treats asthma-induced oxidative stress, thus improving airway function of lung tissue
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |BALB/C mice
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[207]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Protects against cadmium nephrotoxicity
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male Wistar rats
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[206]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Protects against isoprenaline-induced myocardial dysfunction
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male Wistar rats
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[205]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Anti-nociceptive and sedative role via interactions with opioidergic and GABA receptors
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Male albino mice
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[220]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Normalizes fetal growth and reduces adiposity of progeny from obese mice
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |C57BL/6J mice
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[229]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Anti-cancer effect in alcohol-associated breast cancer cell growth and development
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7)
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[213]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Reduces rectal temperature in broiler chickens
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Chickens
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[226,227]
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Improves post-natal lamb survival
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Lambs
| colspan="1" rowspan="1" |[230]
|}

== Taking TMG ==

=== Side effects ===
Trimethylglycine supplementation may cause [[wikipedia:Diarrhea|diarrhea]], bloating, cramps, dyspepsia, [[wikipedia:Nausea|nausea]] or vomiting.<ref name=":0">{{Citation|title=Betaine|date=2012|url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK548774/|work=LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury|access-date=2023-07-14|place=Bethesda (MD)|publisher=National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases|pmid=31644082}}</ref> Although rare, it can also causes excessive increases in serum methionine concentrations in the brain, which may lead to [[wikipedia:Cerebral_edema|cerebral edema]], a life-threatening condition.<ref name=":0" />

Trimethylglycine supplementation lowers homocysteine but also raises [[wikipedia:LDL-cholesterol|LDL-cholesterol]] in obese individuals and renal patients.<ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Olthof MR, van Vliet T, Verhoef P, Zock PL, Katan MB|title=Effect of homocysteine-lowering nutrients on blood lipids: results from four randomised, placebo-controlled studies in healthy humans|journal=PLOS Med.|volume=2|issue=5|pages=e135|year=2005|pmid=15916468|pmc=1140947|doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0020135}}</ref>

== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Orally Consumable Longevity Molecules]]