Trimethylglycine (TMG)
Also known as: Betaine anhydrous, Glycine betaine
Trimethylglycine, also called betaine, is a compound found in foods like beets and whole grains and is discussed as a methyl donor involved in homocysteine metabolism. It also appears in some fitness and heart-wellness discussions. Human evidence for supplementation is limited, and homocysteine-related effects should be interpreted cautiously rather than as a proven health outcome.
Snapshot
Evidence level is outcome-specific; a supplement can have stronger evidence for one use and limited evidence for another.
What this page can tell you: Commonly discussed timing, food notes, caution categories, and an honest note on how much source review this entry still needs.
What it cannot: Whether this is appropriate for you personally, or that it treats, prevents, or cures any condition. Informational only — discuss with a clinician or pharmacist.
🕒 Timing
When: Midday, Morning
Food: With or without food
Commonly taken earlier in the day; timing is otherwise flexible.
💊 Common use range
500–2,000 mg
Higher doses used in some studies; no formal upper limit is well established — verify and follow product guidance.
Ranges are informational, not a recommended dose. Talk to a professional about what is right for you.
⚠️ Commonly noted interactions (supplements)
None listed.
Often about absorption or timing rather than danger — separating doses is common. This list is not exhaustive.
🧭 Baseline caution
General caution for ordinary, common use — before accounting for your specific dose, medications, health history, or procedures.
No general caution factors flagged for ordinary use. See context alerts below for situations that may still apply to you.
Caution level is an informational summary of commonly discussed caution categories and doses — not a safety rating, approval, or medical advice. Low caution does not mean safe for you.
🔎 Context alerts to review
Context alerts may matter depending on your dose, medications, health history, or procedure plans — they do not mean the supplement is generally risky at ordinary use.
Evidence still under review
- Evidence not fully source-reviewed yet
🩺 Medication caution categories
None flagged here, but always review your full routine with a professional.
🏥 Surgery & procedure caution
Not a well-established surgical concern; share your full supplement list with your care team.
If you have a procedure scheduled, bring your full supplement list to your surgical and anesthesia team. Do not stop prescribed medication unless your clinician tells you to. Do not start or stop supplements based only on this app.
✅ Quality checklist
- Prefer products with third-party testing or a certificate of analysis (COA).
- Check the label for the exact form and the elemental or active amount per serving.
🧩 Commonly paired with
🔁 Alternatives
None listed.
🗣️ Questions for a professional
- Does TMG make sense alongside my B vitamins for my goals?
🔬 Evidence snapshot
Betaine (TMG) is a methyl donor that reliably lowers blood homocysteine, and betaine anhydrous is an FDA-approved prescription drug (Cystadane) for the rare inherited disorder homocystinuria. As a general supplement for heart or performance the evidence is limited and mixed — and notably, controlled trials show it can modestly RAISE LDL and total cholesterol, which may offset any cardiovascular benefit from lowering homocysteine.
🧪 Forms & quality
Needs evidence review — no source-reviewed information yet. We only show dose and monitoring details after they have been checked against reputable sources.
See the supplement glossary for what form names like "L-", chelated, or standardized extract mean.
📏 Dose & monitoring
Needs evidence review — no source-reviewed information yet. We only show dose and monitoring details after they have been checked against reputable sources.
Evidence vs. burden: Not yet reviewed
😐 Commonly reported side effects
- Digestive upset
- Body odor at high doses in some people
- May modestly raise LDL/total cholesterol at higher doses (≥4 g/day)
Non-exhaustive and individual.
🔄 Cycling & breaks
No established cycling pattern.
📅 Daily use notes
Often discussed alongside B vitamins in the context of methylation; a lower homocysteine marker is not by itself a proven health benefit — and TMG can raise LDL/total cholesterol at higher doses, worth weighing if heart health is your goal.
📋 Source review status
Partially reviewed — last reviewed 2026-07-12
Partially reviewed 2026-07-12: FDA/DailyMed Cystadane label (approved drug for homocystinuria; methyl donor lowering homocysteine) + RCT/meta-analysis showing betaine raises LDL/total cholesterol at ≥4-6 g/day. General heart/performance supplement evidence limited/mixed; the lipid signal is the load-bearing caution.
Research backlog (queries to verify):
- trimethylglycine betaine homocysteine human trial
- betaine anhydrous exercise performance evidence
📚 References
- FDA/DailyMed — Cystadane (betaine anhydrous) labelFDA — Betaine anhydrous is an FDA-approved drug for homocystinuria; methyl-group donor that lowers elevated homocysteine; 6 g/day divided.
- RCT set — homocysteine-lowering nutrients & blood lipidsPubMed review — Betaine 6 g/day for 6 weeks raised LDL by ~0.36 mmol/L and triglycerides by ~0.14 mmol/L vs placebo; may offset cardiovascular benefit of homocysteine lowering.
Verified against the source shown. See the research-status page for how review works.
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