Betaine widely exists in animals, plants, microorganisms, humans obtain betaine mainly from foods rich in betaine or choline, such as spinach, beets, shrimp, and wheat product are rich in betaine, but the amount of food intake is not up to the human body needs, especially pregnant women, increased demand for betaine, so need to dietary supplements for supplement.

The main physiological functions of betaine are as follows: first, as an important osmotic buffer material in organisms, it can protect cells, proteins and enzymes from environmental stress. Second, as an important methyl donor, a 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 the body to achieve the effect of homocysteine reduction.

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. High levels of homocysteine may be associated with preeclampsia, premature fetal delivery, low birth weight, and fetal growth restriction. When the active folic acid homocysteine reaches the bottleneck, the methionine cycle can be rapidly promoted by betaine supplementation. 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.