Betaine improves adipose function in high fat diet

This study examined the effects of betaine supplementation on hepatic fat accumulation and injury in mice fed high-fat diet and evaluated mechanisms underlying its hepatoprotective effects.

Male C57BL/6 mice weighing 25 {+/-} 0.5 g (means {+/-} SE) were divided into four groups (8 mice per group) and started on one of four treatments: control diet (Con), control diet supplemented with betaine (BT), high-fat diet (HF), and high-fat diet supplemented with betaine (HB). Betaine was supplemented in the drinking water at a concentration of 1% (wt/vol) (anhydrous).

Long-term high-fat feeding caused NAFLD in mice, which was manifested by excessive neutral fat accumulation in the liver and elevated plasma ALT levels. Betaine supplementation alleviated hepatic pathological changes, which were concomitant with attenuated insulin resistance as shown by improved HOMA-IR values and glucose tolerance test (GTT), and corrected abnormal adipokine (adiponectin, resistin, and leptin) productions. In specific, betaine supplementation enhanced insulin sensitivity in adipose tissue as shown by improved ERK1/2 and Akt activations. In adipocytes freshly isolated from mice fed high-fat diet, pretreatment of betaine enhanced insulin signaling pathway and improved adipokine productions. Further investigation using whole liver tissues revealed that betaine supplementation alleviated high-fat diet induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response in adipose tissue as shown by attenuated GRP78/CHOP protein abundance and JNK activation.

The findings suggest that betaine might serve as a safe and efficacious therapeutic tool for NAFLD by improving adipose tissue function.

Wang et al (2010). "Betaine Improved Adipose Tissue Function in Mice Fed High-Fat Diet: A Mechanism for Hepatoprotective Effect of Betaine in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease." Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 298: G634-G642