None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
People with high blood levels of homocysteine are more likely to have heart attacks. Betaine helps keep homocysteine levels down. Many foods (including wheat-based breakfast cereals and some vegetables) are rich in betaine. In addition, betaine (also called “trimethylglycine”) can be purchased as a dietary supplement from health food stores. This research will investigate which approach has the greatest influence on homocysteine levels over a prolonged time period, eating more betaine in the diet or taking betaine in the form of dietary supplements. We hope to learn more about how betaine can be most effectively used to lower homocysteine and decrease the risk of heart attacks.
Interventions
Subjects will receive 2 treatments (a or b) in random order. Treatment a is a diet rich in glycine betaine (approximately 1500mg per day). The treatment duration will be two weeks, followed by a one week wash out period, and then a further two weeks on the alternative treatment.
Sponsors
Canterbury Health Laboratories
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Crossover
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
Male
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Healthy volunteers with no previous history of vascular disease and no illness requiring medication, normal homocysteine concentration.
Exclusion criteria
The presence of vitamin B12, vitamin B6 or folate deficiency, and/or 677->T polymorphisms in the methylene reductase gene.
Outcome results
None listed