What Is Betaine? 7 Health Benefits To Consider

Betaine is an amino acid that has been studied for its many health benefits. What is betaine good for? Like B vitamins, betaine is able to aid in liver function and detoxification. Betaine health benefits also include the ability to support heart health, aid in digestion, support weight loss, and more.

What is Betaine?

So what is betaine exactly? Also known as trimethylglycine, betaine is an amino acid that has recently become more popular in supplement form. Research has shown that betaine health benefits include the ability to promote heart health, provide the body with energy, and improve body composition. Betaine also plays a key role in maintaining healthy liver function and aiding in the detox process. Betaine's most important role is to help the body process fats, but it offers multiple other health benefits as well.

What is Betaine In?

• Wheat Bran
• Quinoa
• Beets
• Spinach
• Amaranth Grain
• Rye grain
• Kamut Wheat Grain
• Bulgar Grain
• Sweet Potato
• Turkey Breast

Betaine Health Benefits

1. Supports Heart Health

What is betaine good for? Betaine health benefits include the ability to support a healthy heart. The amino acid works to reduce homocysteine levels in the blood, which can help lower the risk of heart disease. Betaine also fights the hardening and blocking of arteries, which can lead to heart attack, stroke and heart disease. (1)

2. May Improve Muscle Mass

Studies suggest that betaine health benefits may include the ability to improve muscle mass. Betaine supplementation has been shown to reduce fat mass and increase muscle mass in both animal and human studies. A 2013 study found that betaine supplementation was able to improve body composition and musclar endurance in participants. (2)

3. May Help With Fat Loss

Betaine health benefits include the ability to aid in fat loss. Studies have shown that betaine supplementation can result in quicker fat burning abilities as well as fat loss, without the loss of muscle mass. Researchers found that the fat-burning effects of betaine were most effective when patients were already following a low-calorie diet.

4. Helps With Liver Function and Detoxification

Betaine health benefits include the ability to cleanse liver function and aid in the detoxification process. Studies have shown that betaine aids in liver detox by breaking down and removing fats from the liver. Betaine also helps to prevent damage to the digestive tract caused by toxins and chemicals.

5. Aids in Digestion

Betaine health benefits include the ability to aid in digestion. The amino acid can help increase the hydrochloric acid in the stomach, which plays an important role i breaking down foods and absorbing nutrients. Taking a betaine HCI extract supplement before meals can help the stomach more easily dissolve and process foods, which may be beneficial for those who suffer from digestive problems. (3)

6. Helps Relieve Aches and Pains

Studies have shown that betaine health benefits include the ability to naturally relieve muscle aches and pains. Researchers found that betaine supplementation helped to lower levels of lactate acid, associated with muscular fatigue. Studies suggest that betaine may be helpful in promoting muscle cramp relief.

7. Helps Repair Damage From Alcoholism

Betaine health benefits include the ability to help repair liver damage caused by alcoholism. The amino acid has fat-reducing effects that work to improve alcoholic fatty liver disease by helping the liver process and get rid of excess fat.