Ingredient Spotlight: What is Betaine?

Our new Mega Mass Power powder contains many well-known ingredients. Everyone knows creatine . Now L-glutamine too – but what exactly is betaine doing in our strength-enhancing powder? We'll explain it to you!

The name betaine is derived from the Latin name for sugar beet, Beta vulgaris – because it was from this that betaine was first isolated.

Chemically, betaine is derived from the non-essential amino acid glycine. More precisely, betaine is trimethylglycine, i.e. a glycine molecule that is linked to 3 methyl groups (-CH3).

The three main functions of betaine in the body

These methyl groups are responsible for one of the three main functions of betaine in the body: First, betaine is a so-called methyl group donor, which means that it provides methyl groups for the methylation of other molecules. Furthermore, betaine is an important osomolyte, which means that it helps control cellular fluid balance. Third, betaine may be able to protect proteins in cells from denaturation (loss of their structure).

Study 1: Betaine and the Testosterone to Cortisol Ratio

In 2021, Nobari and colleagues published the results of their study of 14 weeks of betaine supplementation in adolescent professional soccer players. The researchers examined the effect of supplementation on endocrine (hormonal) markers, body composition, and anthropometric parameters (height and weight, as the adolescents were on average only ~15 years old at the time of the study and were therefore still growing).

Hard physical training, such as in competitive soccer, can lead to a state of overtraining, which can worsen the performance of players in training or competition. The authors used endocrine biomarkers such as growth hormone, the associated IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), testosterone, cortisol, and the testosterone to cortisol ratio as indicators.

The subjects received 1 g of betaine in the form of a capsule every day before and after training for two weeks.

Betaine supplementation was able to increase testosterone levels and improve the testosterone to cortisol ratio compared to the placebo group. Betaine had no negative effect on the growth of the adolescent subjects. It is assumed that betaine was able to counteract the testosterone-lowering effects of the hard training.

Study 2: Betaine and increased strength endurance in the bench press and leg press

A 2022 study by Arazi and colleagues investigated the effect of two weeks of betaine supplementation on various parameters in young handball players. This was a crossover study design, meaning that the placebo group became the betaine group after a so-called "washout" period of 30 days, and vice versa.

Among other things, the repetitions in 5 sets with 80% of the one-repetition maximum in the bench press and the leg press were compared to investigate the effect of betaine supplementation on muscular endurance. 

The two-week supplementation was able to increase the testosterone levels of the subjects compared to the placebo group and at the same time reduce cortisol and lactate after training. Furthermore, muscular endurance in the leg press and bench press at 80% of the maximum weight was increased.

Contrary to the previously mentioned study by Nobari et al., who assumed that betaine would only compensate for the training-induced testosterone decline, this study found that betaine supplementation increased testosterone levels not only compared to the placebo group, but also compared to baseline (before training).

The authors name three possible reasons for the hormonal changes triggered by betaine supplementation: Firstly, betaine intake increases the number of repetitions per set, which leads to an increase in training volume and could stimulate testosterone production. Secondly, intensive endurance training represents stress (including oxidative stress) for the body, which could theoretically be counteracted by betaine (results from animal studies: increase in antioxidant enzymes through betaine). Since the handball players in this study had testosterone levels in the lower to middle range of normal values, the authors suspect that betaine could have increased testosterone levels by improving testicular function.

The third option is the following: Testosterone lowers corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), which stimulates the adrenal cortex to produce the stress hormone cortisol - and vice versa. It is unclear whether betaine supplementation was able to actively increase testosterone, or whether it was able to lower cortisol or CRH and thus indirectly trigger a testosterone increase. In animal studies, betaine accumulated in the hypothalamus, resulting in increased growth hormone release. Accordingly, the authors suspect that it could be that betaine also accumulates in the brain in humans and promotes the release of GnRH (gonadotropin releasing hormone), which ultimately results in increased testosterone production. As is often the case, further scientific research is needed to verify the effect of betaine and uncover the underlying mechanisms.

Study 3: Betaine and more performance in Crossfit workouts

A study by Polish and Czech scientists led by Emilia Zawieja, published in 2023, investigated the influence of betaine supplementation on Crossfit performance.

In addition to CrossFit performance, body composition (body composition, ratio of fat-free mass to body fat), muscle strength and the concentrations of certain hormones were also determined.

The subjects (male, between 18 and 48 years old, experienced in training) received either 2.5 g or 5 g of betaine or a placebo daily for three weeks. This study was also carried out in a (randomized, double-blind) crossover design, which means that the subjects were randomly assigned to either the intervention or placebo group in the first cycle of the study and then completed the second cycle of the study in the other group. The washout period between the two cycles was three weeks, just like the two test periods.

Performance in a set Crossfit training (“FGB”; Fight Gone Bad) increased by 8.7% (total number of repetitions performed) in the intervention groups (betaine supplementation). In addition, the testosterone concentration in the subjects’ blood was increased by 7% through betaine supplementation.

No improvements were observed with regard to muscle strength (determined via Wingate anaerobic test on a bicycle ergometer), body composition and other hormones (cortisol, IGF-1) after taking betaine.

The authors conclude that the underlying mechanisms of the ergogenic (performance-enhancing) effect of betaine supplementation still require further clarification. In their opinion, the increase in total testosterone of +7% achieved by betaine is not sufficient to bring about a measurable increase in performance. Nevertheless, they note that a number of animal studies also suggest a connection between betaine and the male sex hormone testosterone (for example due to high betaine concentrations in the testes). 

During the three-week study, no difference in effectiveness was found between doses of 2.5 g and 5 g of betaine per day. So in this case, more does not necessarily help much.

Interestingly, the subjects took the betaine throughout the day and not in close proximity to training. Although this study did not compare the effectiveness of intake at different times, it seems that the timing of intake of the betaine is just as irrelevant as, for example, when taking creatine.

Summary and Outlook

These studies represent only a small part of the overall betaine research. Of course, there are also study results that could not show a positive effect of betaine supplementation. Nevertheless, we consider the relatively recent study results (the oldest of these studies is from 2021) to be extremely promising!

It is important to emphasize that betaine did not cause any unwanted side effects in the doses used in the studies. So in principle there is nothing stopping you from trying it yourself!

Start your own experiment – ​​in the name of science! Get our strength-enhancing creatine complex with betaine now at the exclusive launch price and maximize your potential. Grab it quickly!