Serum betaine and dimethylglycine in mid-pregnancy and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: a case-control study

• Published in: Endocrine Vol. 85; no. 2; pp. 649 - 659
• Main Authors: Zhou, Ziqing, Yao, Yao, Sun, Yanan, Wang, Xin, Huang, Shang, Hou, Jianli, Wang, Lijun, Wei, Fengxiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Betaine; Blood glucose; Blood levels; Carnitine; Choline; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Dimethylglycine; Endocrinology; Gestational age; Gestational diabetes; Glucose; High-performance liquid chromatography; Homeostasis; Humanities and Social Sciences; Internal Medicine; Mass spectroscopy; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; multidisciplinary; Original Article; Pregnancy complications; Risk factors; Science; Trimethylamine; Trimethylamine-N-oxide; Gestational diabetes mellitus; L-carnitine; Trimethylamine N-oxide; Betaine; Choline; Dimethylglycine
• ISSN: 1559-0100; 1355-008X; 1559-0100
• DOI: 10.1007/s12020-024-03732-4

Purpose To investigate the associations of choline, betaine, dimethylglycine (DMG), L-carnitine, and Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) with the risk of Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) as well as the markers of glucose homeostasis. Methods We performed a case-control study including 200 diagnosed GDM cases and 200 controls matched by maternal age (±2 years) and gestational age (±2 weeks). Concentrations of serum metabolites were measured by the high-performance liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Results Compared to the control group, GDM group had significantly lower serum betaine concentration and betaine/choline ratio, and higher DMG concentration. Furthermore, decreased betaine concentration and betaine/choline ratio, increased DMG concentration showed significant association with the risk of GDM. In addition, serum betaine concentrations were negatively associated with blood glucose levels at 1-h post-glucose load (OGTT-1h), and both betaine and L-carnitine concentrations were positively associated with 1,5-anhydroglucitol levels. Betaine/choline ratio was negatively associated with OGTT-1h and blood glucose levels at 2-h post-glucose load (OGTT-2h) and serum choline concentrations were negatively associated with fasting blood glucose and positively associated with OGTT-2h. Conclusion Decreased serum betaine concentrations and betaine/choline ratio, and elevated DMG concentrations could be significant risk factors for GDM. Furthermore, betaine may be associated with blood glucose regulation and short-term glycemic fluctuations.