What is Betaine HCL? - Properties and benefits

Betaine is a plant substance that is becoming increasingly well known for its many health benefits. Particularly helpful in digestion and in combating the accumulation of excess fat in the liver, it is a helpful solution for many ailments. Thanks to its beneficial effects on the body, betaine can be successfully used as a dietary supplement. What is worth knowing about betaine, what is its profile of action and is it safe for human consumption?

Betaine HCL – what is it?

Betaine is an amino acid, although it is unofficially considered one of the B vitamins. In reality, however, betaine itself cannot be considered a vitamin, as it is also produced in the human body. Its function in the organisms in which it occurs is essentially the same, as betaine has the effect of retaining water in the body's cells and protecting it from adverse environmental conditions. Betaine itself was discovered in the 1860s during the extraction of active substances from sugar beet. It is also what gives the vegetable its unique, distinctive red colour. This substance occurs naturally in many vegetables, as well as in animal meat.

In the human body, betaine provides us with essential hydrochloric acid and also plays a key role in the proper absorption of vitamin B12, calcium and iron. It is currently used as a supplement to help people with various digestive ailments.

When stomach acid production is insufficient, supplementation can alleviate many problems associated with hydrochloric acid deficiency, such as heartburn or reflux. Optimal acid levels also help to break down food effectively. As a result, it improves the absorption of nutrients by the human body.

Betaine HCL – what is it good for?

Betaine HCL plays a key role in human metabolism. Its functions are diverse, as are the effects of its action. Among the most well-known benefits are:

• Lowering homocysteine levels – betaine helps regulate and lower homocysteine levels. It is therefore responsible for preventing diseases caused by its excess.
• Keeping your liver healthy – this amino acid acts as an effective lipotropic agent, releasing methyl, breaking down fats stored in the liver, detoxifying the organ and preventing possible fatty liver disease.
• Preventing cell dehydration – by maintaining water balance in cells, it assists in the transport of essential fluids throughout the body.
• Reducing the risk of gastrointestinal pathologies – its action regulates the pH of gastric acid, which is essential for proper digestive processes.
• Stimulation of the cardiovascular system and positive effect on arteries – thanks to the health-promoting effect of methyl, blood vessels become dilated, ensuring constant and regulated blood circulation.
• Assistance in muscle mass growth – its mechanism, which lowers homocysteine levels, enables the conversion of the substance into methionine, a substance that is extremely important in protein synthesis and the natural production of creatine, whose beneficial effect on muscle growth is widely known. In turn, the reduction in homocysteine levels is directly linked to faster muscle tissue loss and muscle growth through increased insulin sensitivity.
• Increased endurance and muscle strength – by producing large amounts of nitric oxide, betaine increases endurance and strength during physical activity. It improves cardiorespiratory fitness and increases the muscles' capacity for intense exercise.

It is the last two points that make betaine HCL a relatively popular supplement among athletes. After consuming betaine, high levels of nitric oxide act as a vasodilator, improving muscle oxygenation and the transport of nutrients such as amino acids.

Betaine HCL – where can it be found?

Betaine HCL in extracted form is available in effervescent tablets, drinkable preparations, capsules or granules. However, if you do not want to supplement betaine with artificially created products, the substance is also found in abundance in everyday foods. These include:

• Red sugar beet
• Fish
• Legumes
• Spinach
• Broccoli

Betaine HCL – does it help with reflux?

Reflux often affects young people, and a decrease in stomach acidity leads to many unpleasant consequences, more often in older people. This decrease can cause slow and incomplete digestion. Poorly digested food reaches the intestine without the acid needed for further dissolution. The damage caused by this condition generates gas, bloating and, most importantly, reflux of food back into the oesophagus, accompanied by abdominal pain and irritation of the oesophagus and throat.

In many cases, this condition can last for several days or even weeks. Irritated mucous membranes begin to bleed and often promote cancerous processes. To this end, betaine HCL helps to stabilise the acidity level in the stomach, ensuring balance in the digestive processes. This significantly reduces the risk of reflux and other gastrointestinal problems.

Betaine HCL dosage – what does it look like?

When supplementing with betaine, it is important to follow the correct dosage. Do not exceed one to three tablets per day. The betaine treatment itself usually lasts a maximum of seven days, or as long as recommended by your doctor. So what is the correct dosage?

• Minimum dose of betaine – 500 mg/day;
• Hyperhomocysteinemia and cardiovascular protection – 3 to 5 g/day;
• Improvement of digestive functions – 1.5 g/day;
• Recommended dose for most ailments, as well as for improving physical performance – 2.5 g/day.

It should also be remembered that betaine supplementation is not recommended for people:

• Under 15 years of age
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women
• People allergic to betaine

To benefit from betaine, follow the recommendations on the packaging of dietary supplements containing betaine. When consuming natural products containing betaine, moderation should be exercised. Normally, when sugar beet or wheat bran is included in the diet, we consume between 325 and 650 mg of betaine per day, but excess amounts can lead to side effects unrelated to the action of betaine.

Betaine HCL – possible side effects

When taken in the recommended doses, betaine HCL is well tolerated by the body and rarely causes side effects. Nevertheless, as with all substances, there is a risk of side effects that should be watched out for. These are often caused by an excess of betaine in the diet or individual intolerance to the active substance. Possible side effects include:

• Nausea
• Change in body odour
• Feeling of loss of consciousness
• Muscle weakness
• Motor and memory disorders
• Diarrhoea

If the above-mentioned side effects occur during betaine supplementation, it is a good reason to divide the daily dose of betaine into smaller doses. However, many studies show that betaine is lost through sweat during physical exercise.

Bibliography

‘Betaine: Chemistry, Analysis, Function and Effects’ – V. Preedy, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015.

‘Progressive cerebral oedema associated with high methionine levels and betaine therapy in a patient with cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) deficiency’ – R. Yaghmai et al., American Journal of Medical Genetics, John Wiley & Sons, 2002.

‘Double-blind therapeutic trial in Angelman syndrome using betaine and folic acid’ – S. U. Peters et al., American Journal of Medical Genetics, John Wiley & Sons, 2010.

Cardiovascular lesions in Swiss mice fed a high fat — Low protein diet with and without betaine supplementation – C. R. Ball, W. L. Williams, J. M. Collum, scientific journal The Anatomical Record Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology, Wiley, 1963.

‘Actions of betaine, carnitine and choline on the pattern of hepatic liposis in mice fed a high-fat, low-protein diet’ – C. R. Ball, scientific journal The Anatomical Record Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology, Wiley, 1964.

‘Hyperosmotic hybridoma cell cultures: Increased monoclonal antibody production with addition of glycine betaine’ – K. Øyaas, T. E. Ellingsen, N. Dyrset, D. W. Levine, scientific journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering, John Wiley & Sons, 1994.

‘Über Chlorosäure-Betaine (Ergänzung)’ – P. Pfeiffer, H. Böttcher, scientific journal European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, John Wiley & Sons, 1937.

‘Betaine prevents loss of sialic acid residues and peroxidative injury of erythrocyte membrane in ethanol-given rats’ – G. Kanbak et al., scientific journal Cell Biochemistry and Function, John Wiley & Sons, 2007.

‘Ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity and protective effect of betaine’ – G. Kanbak, M. İnal, C. Bayçu, scientific journal Cell Biochemistry and Function, John Wiley & Sons, 2001.

 

‘Choline and betaine in health and disease’ – P. M. Ueland, scientific journal Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease, Wiley, 2010.

‘Effect of betaine supplementation on power performance and fatigue’ – J. R. Hoffman, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, Taylor & Francis, 2009.