Betaine for athletes – does it increase strength and improve performance?

The compound, whose name comes from the Latin name for beets, is widely known in cosmetology, but has also gained popularity… in sports. How does betaine affect sports performance? Is its action confirmed? Let’s check!

Why is betaine popular among athletes?

Let’s start with a quick clarification: the betaine referred to in this article is trimethylglycine, or TMG, an osmotically active substance. Our body is able to produce it itself, provided it receives an adequate amount of choline, which the liver can then convert. In addition to sugar beets, choline or betaine are also found in:

• wheat,
• spinach,
• seafood (shellfish).

In the human body, a key property of betaine is its ability to regulate the volume and hydration of the body’s cells. This function allows cells to function properly under conditions of increased exertion – for example, during sports.

Importantly, betaine also plays the role of a so-called chaperone, or rather, a protective protein. This means that it influences the formation, folding, and stabilization of protein structures formed during synthesis. In an animal model, betaine intake also led to increased phosphorylation of protein kinase B – which is part of the mTOR kinase pathway (responsible for cell proliferation and movement) – in muscle tissues ¹. In other words: betaine intake optimizes anabolic (growth) processes and can contribute to muscle hypertrophy. As such, it is a valuable supplement for athletes in disciplines requiring great muscle strength and dynamics.

Betaine and muscle strength and mass

The effectiveness of betaine was primarily studied in groups of young athletes – handball players, where its effect on betaine’s ability to improve the body’s dynamic capabilities was tested, and runners, whose endurance was tested under elevated temperature conditions. Studies indicated betaine’s potential to improve specific markers:

• in the case of handball players, betaine improved dynamic test results, increasing their ability to repeat resistance exercises; moreover, it lowered cortisol and lactic acid levels, and also reduced the testosterone drop typical for intense exercise²;
• a 2008 study compared betaine’s effectiveness in improving endurance and body hydration relative to plain water and water with added electrolytes under elevated temperature conditions. Betaine did not significantly change the time athletes were able to maintain a high exercise pace, but it did affect lactic acid concentration, oxygen utilization, and participants’ perception of heat. This led researchers to conclude that it is a supplement that can primarily reduce the level of cellular fatigue in muscles, allowing them to work better under conditions of increased cellular stressor intensity.

According to a 2024 review study, tests with high research value (with an established placebo group, specified supplementation time, and betaine dose) also showed high effectiveness of betaine in increasing lower body muscle strength and vertical jump dynamics with as little as seven days of supplementation³.

How does betaine affect muscle growth?

As mentioned earlier, betaine is a chaperone – a protein that does not directly account for muscle mass growth, but instead ensures the correct structure and folding of other proteins in the cell at a molecular level. This means that its supplementation allows the body to achieve the most energy-efficient tissue growth. Its presence in the body is also linked to higher concentrations of nitric oxide in the blood – which causes blood vessels to dilate. Better blood supply means more effective transport of nutrients to tissues, which, combined with betaine’s natural ability to regulate cell hydration, creates an optimal environment for increasing muscle mass.

Muscle regeneration and betaine supplementation

Betaine shows a significant ability to limit the impact of so-called cellular stressors on tissues. These include, for example, overheating or oxidative stress. In the aforementioned study on runners, betaine reduced participants’ perception of higher temperatures, suggesting that in addition to preventing dehydration, betaine protected cells from the effects of overheating, allowing for a more effective stress response. Furthermore, in a study on young footballers during training before, during the season, and after competitions, betaine supplementation reduced the testosterone drop typical for physical activity and improved the ratio of this hormone’s level to cortisol. In a follow-up study one year after supplementation ended, the result of this phenomenon was a slightly greater growth in players taking betaine compared to the placebo group, also suggesting that the supplement positively influenced the body’s ability to regenerate and grow despite accumulated fatigue resulting from intense exercise.

In summary: betaine has properties beneficial for human health. It is a chaperone, enabling proper muscle tissue growth, possesses osmolytic properties and protects cells from dehydration, and also allows for better results in dynamic fitness tests.

• E. Zawieja, K. Durkalec-Michalski, M. Sadowski, N. Główka, A. Chmurzynska, Betaine supplementation improves CrossFit performance and increases testosterone levels, but has no influence on Wingate power: randomized crossover trial, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 20/2023, no. 1.
• H. Arazi, S. Aboutalebi, B. Taati, J. M. Cholewa, D. G. Candow, Effects of short-term betaine supplementation on muscle endurance and indices of endocrine function following acute high-intensity resistance exercise in young athletes, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 19/2022, no. 1.
• L.E.Armstrong, D.J. Casa, M.W. Roti, E.C. Lee, S.A. Craig, J.W. Sutherland, K.A. Fiala, C. M. Maresh: Influence of betaine consumption on strenuous running and sprinting in a hot environment, Journal of strength and conditioning research, 22/2008, no. 3.
• H. Nobari, M. Kargarfard, V. Minasian, J.M. Cholewa, J.Pérez-Gómez ,The effects of 14-week betaine supplementation on endocrine markers, body composition and anthropometrics in professional youth soccer players: a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial., Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 18/2021, no. 1.
• E. Zawieja, S. Machek, N.E. Zanchi, J. Cholewa , Woźniewicz M. Effects of chronic betaine supplementation on exercise performance: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences, 42/2024, no. 22.
• M.J. Kim, Betaine enhances the cellular survival via mitochondrial fusion and fission factors, MFN2 and DRP1, Animal cells and systems, 22/2018 no. 5.