Betaine is a natural compound, and most animals and plants contain betaine. Wheat and sugar beets are two common plants that contain high levels of betaine. When used within allowable limits, pure betaine is considered safe. Because betaine has certain functional properties, it can become an essential nutrient (or additive) under certain conditions, so more and more pure betaine is added to the diets of pigs and poultry. Does betaine has function of    preventing body dehydration?

You can eat too much betaine when you are lacking water. This is not the use of its methyl donor function, but the use of betaine to regulate cell hydration. Under heat stress, the cell's response is to accumulate inorganic ions, such as organic osmotic agents such as sodium, potassium, chlorine, and betaine. In this case, betaine is the most effective compound because it has no negative effect on protein stability. As an osmotic regulator, when the body is dehydrated, betaine can protect the kidneys from high concentrations of electrolytes and urea, improve the function of macrophages, regulate the water balance in the intestines, and prevent premature cell death.

From a practical point of view, it has been reported that adding betaine to feed can prevent intestinal villi from shrinking and increase the activity of proteolytic enzymes, thereby promoting the intestinal health of weaned piglets. A similar function also reflects that when poultry suffers from coccidiosis, adding betaine to poultry feed can improve intestinal health.