Liver and serum metabolites of obese and lean mice fed on high fat or normal diets were analyzed using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and partial least-squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA).
Obese and lean groups were clearly discriminated from each other on PLS-DA score plot and major metabolites contributing to the discrimination were assigned as lipid metabolites (fatty acids, phosphatidylcholines (PCs), and lysophosphatidylcholines (lysoPCs)), lipid metabolism intermediates (betaine, carnitine, and acylcarnitines), amino acids, acidic compounds, monosaccharides, and serotonin. A high-fat diet increased lipid metabolites but decreased lipid metabolism intermediates and the NAD/NADH ratio, indicating that abnormal lipid and energy metabolism induced by a high-fat diet resulted in fat accumulation via decreased beta-oxidation. In addition, this study revealed that the levels of many metabolites, including serotonin, betaine, pipecolic acid, and uric acid, were positively or negatively related to obesity-associated diseases.
On the basis of these metabolites, we proposed a metabolic pathway related to high-fat diet-induced obesity. These metabolites can be used to better understand obesity and related diseases induced by a hyperlipidic diet. Furthermore, the level changes of these metabolites can be used to assess the risk of obesity and the therapeutic effect of obesity management.
Kim et al (2010). "Metabolomic analysis of livers and serum from high-fat diet induced obese mice." J Proteome Res 10(2): 722-31.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Betaine should be combined fibrates for hyperlipidemia
Because most of the cardiac risk remains despite successful statin therapy there has been renewed interest in fibrate therapy for persisting hyperlipidaemia. Fibrate therapy lowers triglycerides but causes the urinary loss of betaine, which is an essential metabolite that is involved in osmoregulation, in methyl group metabolism, and which also affects lipid partitioning in the body. Loss of betaine is associated with an elevation of homocysteine and may compromise the potential benefits of fibrate therapy. However, betaine deficiency could be easily and inexpensively corrected by concurrent betaine supplementation. Clinical trials of combinations of betaine and fibrate, to complement statin therapy, are needed to determine the value of these agents in reducing the residual cardiovascular disease risk
Lever et al (2010). "Fibrates plus betaine: a winning combination?" N Z Med J 123(1324): 74-8.
Lever et al (2010). "Fibrates plus betaine: a winning combination?" N Z Med J 123(1324): 74-8.
Betaine protects the brain against alcohol and aspirin
Physicians recommend aspirin for prevention of heart attacks and stroke in people above the age of 40 years. In some cases, alcohol consumption accompanies aspirin intake. In this study, the in vitro effects of different doses of ethanol (50, 100, and 200 mM) and 100 μg/mL of aspirin and the possible protective role of betaine (0.5 and 1 mM) were investigated on rat cerebral synaptosomes.
Synaptosomally enriched fractions, derived from Sprague Dawley rat brains, were incubated with ethanol and aspirin so as to measure sialic acid (SA), nitric oxide levels, and adenosine deaminase (ADA) activities, which are known to be the markers of alcohol damage. When combined with aspirin, ethanol increased SA levels compared with the control group at all doses, resulting in loss of SA residue from synaptosomal membrane. Betaine (0.5 mM) decreased SA levels with respect to the ethanol (200 mM) plus aspirin group (p < .05), thereby preventing SA loss. Moreover, betaine reversed the destructive effects of ethanol by elevating reduced nitric oxide levels. Aspirin, when combined with all doses of ethanol, increased ADA activity, which is crucial for purine metabolism. ADA activities were also elevated in betaine-administered groups.
We propose that betaine is an effective compound in protecting the rat brain synaptosomes against ethanol and aspirin together.
Sogut and Kanbak (2010). "In vitro effects of ethanol with aspirin on rat brain synaptosomes: the potential protective role of betaine." Int J Neurosci 120(12): 774-83.
Synaptosomally enriched fractions, derived from Sprague Dawley rat brains, were incubated with ethanol and aspirin so as to measure sialic acid (SA), nitric oxide levels, and adenosine deaminase (ADA) activities, which are known to be the markers of alcohol damage. When combined with aspirin, ethanol increased SA levels compared with the control group at all doses, resulting in loss of SA residue from synaptosomal membrane. Betaine (0.5 mM) decreased SA levels with respect to the ethanol (200 mM) plus aspirin group (p < .05), thereby preventing SA loss. Moreover, betaine reversed the destructive effects of ethanol by elevating reduced nitric oxide levels. Aspirin, when combined with all doses of ethanol, increased ADA activity, which is crucial for purine metabolism. ADA activities were also elevated in betaine-administered groups.
We propose that betaine is an effective compound in protecting the rat brain synaptosomes against ethanol and aspirin together.
Sogut and Kanbak (2010). "In vitro effects of ethanol with aspirin on rat brain synaptosomes: the potential protective role of betaine." Int J Neurosci 120(12): 774-83.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Betaine is an important component of whole grain health benefits
Epidemiological studies have clearly shown that whole-grain cereals can protect against obesity, diabetes, CVD and cancers. The specific effects of food structure (increased satiety, reduced transit time and glycaemic response), fibre (improved faecal bulking and satiety, viscosity and SCFA production, and/or reduced glycaemic response) and Mg (better glycaemic homeostasis through increased insulin secretion), together with the antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties of numerous bioactive compounds, especially those in the bran and germ (minerals, trace elements, vitamins, carotenoids, polyphenols and alkylresorcinols), are today well-recognised mechanisms in this protection.
Recent findings, the exhaustive listing of bioactive compounds found in whole-grain wheat, their content in whole-grain, bran and germ fractions and their estimated bioavailability, have led to new hypotheses. The involvement of polyphenols in cell signalling and gene regulation, and of sulfur compounds, lignin and phytic acid should be considered in antioxidant protection. Whole-grain wheat is also a rich source of methyl donors and lipotropes (methionine, betaine, choline, inositol and folates) that may be involved in cardiovascular and/or hepatic protection, lipid metabolism and DNA methylation. Potential protective effects of bound phenolic acids within the colon, of the B-complex vitamins on the nervous system and mental health, of oligosaccharides as prebiotics, of compounds associated with skeleton health, and of other compounds such as α-linolenic acid, policosanol, melatonin, phytosterols and para-aminobenzoic acid also deserve to be studied in more depth. Finally, benefits of nutrigenomics to study complex physiological effects of the ‘whole-grain package’, and the most promising ways for improving the nutritional quality of cereal products are discussed.
Fardet A. New hypotheses for the health-protective mechanisms of whole-grain cereals: what is beyond fibre? Nutrition Research Reviews. 2010;23(01):65-134.
Recent findings, the exhaustive listing of bioactive compounds found in whole-grain wheat, their content in whole-grain, bran and germ fractions and their estimated bioavailability, have led to new hypotheses. The involvement of polyphenols in cell signalling and gene regulation, and of sulfur compounds, lignin and phytic acid should be considered in antioxidant protection. Whole-grain wheat is also a rich source of methyl donors and lipotropes (methionine, betaine, choline, inositol and folates) that may be involved in cardiovascular and/or hepatic protection, lipid metabolism and DNA methylation. Potential protective effects of bound phenolic acids within the colon, of the B-complex vitamins on the nervous system and mental health, of oligosaccharides as prebiotics, of compounds associated with skeleton health, and of other compounds such as α-linolenic acid, policosanol, melatonin, phytosterols and para-aminobenzoic acid also deserve to be studied in more depth. Finally, benefits of nutrigenomics to study complex physiological effects of the ‘whole-grain package’, and the most promising ways for improving the nutritional quality of cereal products are discussed.
Fardet A. New hypotheses for the health-protective mechanisms of whole-grain cereals: what is beyond fibre? Nutrition Research Reviews. 2010;23(01):65-134.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Betaine improves lactation performance
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of betaine supplementation on rumen fermentation, lactation performance and plasma characteristics in dairy cows.
Twenty multiparous Holstein dairy cows (5978 kg body weight (BW), 885 days in milk (DIM) and average daily milk production of 2604 Latin square experiment. The treatments were: control (without betaine), low-betaine (LB), medium-betaine (MB) and high-betaine (HB) with 0, 50, 100 and 150 g supplemental anhydrous betaine/cow/day, respectively. Betaine was hand-mixed into the top one-third of the daily ration at feeding. Experimental periods were 30 days with 15 days of adaptation and 15 days of sampling. Dry matter (DM) intake was not affected with increasing the betaine supplementation. There were linear increases in milk yield and fat-corrected milk yield (corrected to 40 g fat/kg) and a linear and quadratic increase in milk fat concentration with increasing the betaine supplementation, whereas the proportion and yield of milk protein and lactose, and feed efficiency, were not affected. Ruminal pH and ammonia N linearly decreased, whereas total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration linearly and quadratically increased with increasing the betaine supplementation. The ratio of acetate to propionate (A:P) linearly increased from 353 as betaine supplementation increased. Digestibility of DM linearly increased, whereas digestibilities of organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) in the total tract were quadratically increased with increasing the betaine supplementation. Plasma concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) were lower for betaine supplementation than for control, and were linearly decreased by betaine supplementation.
The results indicate that supplementation of mid-lactation dairy cow diets with betaine increased milk yield through increased feed digestion. Betaine supplementation may benefit lactation performance when methionine supply is limiting.
Wang et al (2010). "Effects of betaine supplementation on rumen fermentation, lactation performance, feed digestibilities and plasma characteristics in dairy cows." J. Agric. Sci. 148(4): 487-495.
Twenty multiparous Holstein dairy cows (5978 kg body weight (BW), 885 days in milk (DIM) and average daily milk production of 2604 Latin square experiment. The treatments were: control (without betaine), low-betaine (LB), medium-betaine (MB) and high-betaine (HB) with 0, 50, 100 and 150 g supplemental anhydrous betaine/cow/day, respectively. Betaine was hand-mixed into the top one-third of the daily ration at feeding. Experimental periods were 30 days with 15 days of adaptation and 15 days of sampling. Dry matter (DM) intake was not affected with increasing the betaine supplementation. There were linear increases in milk yield and fat-corrected milk yield (corrected to 40 g fat/kg) and a linear and quadratic increase in milk fat concentration with increasing the betaine supplementation, whereas the proportion and yield of milk protein and lactose, and feed efficiency, were not affected. Ruminal pH and ammonia N linearly decreased, whereas total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration linearly and quadratically increased with increasing the betaine supplementation. The ratio of acetate to propionate (A:P) linearly increased from 353 as betaine supplementation increased. Digestibility of DM linearly increased, whereas digestibilities of organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) in the total tract were quadratically increased with increasing the betaine supplementation. Plasma concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) were lower for betaine supplementation than for control, and were linearly decreased by betaine supplementation.
The results indicate that supplementation of mid-lactation dairy cow diets with betaine increased milk yield through increased feed digestion. Betaine supplementation may benefit lactation performance when methionine supply is limiting.
Wang et al (2010). "Effects of betaine supplementation on rumen fermentation, lactation performance, feed digestibilities and plasma characteristics in dairy cows." J. Agric. Sci. 148(4): 487-495.
Betaine supplementation improved cycling sprint power
This study examined the effect of betaine on cycling sprint performance.
Sixteen untrained subjects (7 females and 9 males) completed three sprint tests, each consisting of four 12 sec efforts against 5.5% of body weight as resistance; efforts were separated by 2.5 min of cycling at zero resistance. Test one established baseline; test two and three were preceded by daily consumption of 591 ml of a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage as a placebo or a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage containing 0.42% betaine. A double blind random order crossover design and a three-week washout between trials were used. Average and maximum peak and mean power were analyzed with one-way repeated measures ANOVA and, where indicated, a Student Newman–Keuls; α was set at 0.05.
Compared to baseline, betaine ingestion increased average peak power (6.4%, p < 0.001), max peak power (5.7%, p < 0.001), average mean power (5.4%, p = 0.004), and max mean power (4.4%, p = 0.004) for all subjects combined. Compared to placebo, betaine ingestion significantly increased average peak power (3.4%, p = 0.026), max peak power max (3.8%, p = 0.007), average mean power (3.3%, p = 0.034), and max mean power (3.5%, p = 0.011) for all subjects combined. There were no differences between the placebo and baseline trials.
One week of betaine ingestion improved cycling sprint power in untrained males and females.
Czapla R, Swensen T, and Craig SAS. Effect of betaine on cycling sprint power. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2010;7(Suppl 1):P23
Sixteen untrained subjects (7 females and 9 males) completed three sprint tests, each consisting of four 12 sec efforts against 5.5% of body weight as resistance; efforts were separated by 2.5 min of cycling at zero resistance. Test one established baseline; test two and three were preceded by daily consumption of 591 ml of a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage as a placebo or a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage containing 0.42% betaine. A double blind random order crossover design and a three-week washout between trials were used. Average and maximum peak and mean power were analyzed with one-way repeated measures ANOVA and, where indicated, a Student Newman–Keuls; α was set at 0.05.
Compared to baseline, betaine ingestion increased average peak power (6.4%, p < 0.001), max peak power (5.7%, p < 0.001), average mean power (5.4%, p = 0.004), and max mean power (4.4%, p = 0.004) for all subjects combined. Compared to placebo, betaine ingestion significantly increased average peak power (3.4%, p = 0.026), max peak power max (3.8%, p = 0.007), average mean power (3.3%, p = 0.034), and max mean power (3.5%, p = 0.011) for all subjects combined. There were no differences between the placebo and baseline trials.
One week of betaine ingestion improved cycling sprint power in untrained males and females.
Czapla R, Swensen T, and Craig SAS. Effect of betaine on cycling sprint power. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2010;7(Suppl 1):P23
Betaine supplementation improves abdominal fat traits and decreases transcription of lipogenenis genes
Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of betaine supplementation on mRNA expression levels of lipogenesis genes and CpG methylation of lipoprotein lipase gene (LPL) in broilers.
From 22 days of age, 78 broilers were feed basal diet without betaine and basal diet supplemented with 0.1% betaine, respectively, and at 56 and 66 days of age, the traits of 15 chickens (7 males and 8 females) of each group were recorded and abdominal fat pads were collected. The mRNA expression levels of several lipogenesis gene were analyzed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and real-time quantitative RT-PCR (qPCR), respectively. The CpG methylation profile at the promoter region of LPL gene in 66-day-old broilers was determined by bisulfite sequencing. The average daily gain and percent abdominal fat traits were slightly improved in 56-day-old and 66-day-old broilers after dietary supplementation of betaine to diet. After adding 0.1% betaine to diet, the mRNA levels of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and adipocyte-type fatty acid-binding protein genes in abdominal adipose were significantly decreased in 56-day-old broilers, and those of LPL and FAS genes in abdominal adipose were significantly decreased in 66-day-old broilers comparing with the control group (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001). Moreover, in 66-day-old broilers fed 0.1% betaine diet, a different CpG methylation pattern was observed: the CpG dinucleotides of 1st, 6th, 7th, 8th and from 10th to 50th were less methylated; however, those of 2nd, 5th and 9th were more heavily methylated.
The results suggest that transcription of some lipogenesis genes was decreased by betaine supplementation and betaine may decrease LPL mRNA expression by altering CpG methylation pattern on LPL promoter region.
Xing et al (2010). "Effect of dietary betaine supplementation on lipogenesis gene expression and CpG methylation of lipoprotein lipase gene in broilers." Mol Biol Rep 38(3): 1975-81.
From 22 days of age, 78 broilers were feed basal diet without betaine and basal diet supplemented with 0.1% betaine, respectively, and at 56 and 66 days of age, the traits of 15 chickens (7 males and 8 females) of each group were recorded and abdominal fat pads were collected. The mRNA expression levels of several lipogenesis gene were analyzed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and real-time quantitative RT-PCR (qPCR), respectively. The CpG methylation profile at the promoter region of LPL gene in 66-day-old broilers was determined by bisulfite sequencing. The average daily gain and percent abdominal fat traits were slightly improved in 56-day-old and 66-day-old broilers after dietary supplementation of betaine to diet. After adding 0.1% betaine to diet, the mRNA levels of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and adipocyte-type fatty acid-binding protein genes in abdominal adipose were significantly decreased in 56-day-old broilers, and those of LPL and FAS genes in abdominal adipose were significantly decreased in 66-day-old broilers comparing with the control group (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001). Moreover, in 66-day-old broilers fed 0.1% betaine diet, a different CpG methylation pattern was observed: the CpG dinucleotides of 1st, 6th, 7th, 8th and from 10th to 50th were less methylated; however, those of 2nd, 5th and 9th were more heavily methylated.
The results suggest that transcription of some lipogenesis genes was decreased by betaine supplementation and betaine may decrease LPL mRNA expression by altering CpG methylation pattern on LPL promoter region.
Xing et al (2010). "Effect of dietary betaine supplementation on lipogenesis gene expression and CpG methylation of lipoprotein lipase gene in broilers." Mol Biol Rep 38(3): 1975-81.
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