Betaine is short for glycine betaine, first discovered in Europe. It is a natural substance isolated from the waste honey produced by the sugar beet process. Its chemical name is Trimethylamine ethyl lactone or trimethylglycine.1 is an important osmotic buffer in organisms, which can protect cells, proteins and enzymes from environmental stress. As an important methyl donor, one molecule of betaine can provide three methyl groups to participate in the methionine cycle pathway, among which betaine-homocysteine methylase pathway is an important biochemical pathway in vivo.

One pathway catalyzes the transformation of betaine homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT) in liver and kidney cells. Another pathway, which occurs in all somatic cells, is the conversion of tetrahydrofolic acid (THF) to 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid (Medvita) as the active form of folic acid under the action of methylene tetrahydrofolic acid reductase (MTHFR).5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid (medical vita) transfers the methyl group to vitamin B12, which in turn transfers the methyl group to homocysteine under the action of methionine synthase (MS) to produce methionine.

Maternal nutrition plays an important role in the growth and development of the mother and fetus, especially the supply of methyl groups from conception to the whole stage of fetal delivery is very important. Experimental studies on animals conducted by Anas et al. showed that the demand for betaine in mice increased after conception, and the accumulation of betaine in mice was retained until the stage of embryo formation. In humans, maternal plasma betaine and dimethylglycine concentrations decrease by 20 weeks of gestation and remain stable thereafter. At the same time, plasma homocysteine concentration decreased during pregnancy and reached the lowest level by the second trimester. Maternal homocysteine is an important indicator of pregnancy health, but maternal plasma betaine concentration before 20 weeks is a predictor of homocysteine. A controlled study by Shaw et al. found that maternal intake of foods rich in betaine and methionine reduced the risk of fetal neural tube malformations. Therefore, betaine intake throughout gestation plays an important role in maternal and fetal health.