title: Prospective associations of maternal betaine status with offspring weight and body composition at birth: the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort study.
abstract: Betaine supplementation results in lower body weight and fat mass and higher lean mass in animals and adult humans. However, the relation between maternal betaine status and offspring birth weight and body composition is less known.
  
  
  
  The aim was to examine the association between maternal betaine status and neonatal birth size and adiposity in an Asian mother-offspring cohort.
  
  
  
  We included 955 pregnant women whose plasma betaine concentrations were measured at 26-28 wk of gestation. Neonatal anthropometric values were measured at birth, and abdominal adipose tissue compartments were assessed by MRI in a subset of infants (n = 307) in the first 14 d after birth. Multivariate general linear models were used to adjust for gestational age; fetal sex; and maternal age, height, education, ethnicity, prepregnancy body mass index, and plasma folate, vitamin B-12, and choline concentrations.
  
  
  
  The mean ± SD plasma concentration of betaine was 13.2 ± 2.7 μmol/L (range: 5.3-25.0 μmol/L). After adjustment for covariates, higher maternal plasma betaine was associated with lower birth weight (β: -57.6 g; 95% CI: -109.9, -5.3 g), shorter birth length (β: -0.29 cm per 5-μmol/L increment; 95% CI: -0.55, -0.03 cm), smaller head circumference (-0.20 cm; 95% CI: -0.38, -0.02 cm), smaller midupper arm circumference (-0.16 cm; 95% CI: -0.30, -0.03 cm), lower volumes of abdominal superficial subcutaneous adipose tissue (-4.53 mL; 95% CI: -8.70, -0.36 mL), and a higher risk of small-for-gestational-age birth (OR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.05, 2.35).
  
  
  
  Higher maternal betaine status was generally associated with smaller infant birth size and less abdominal fat mass. Further studies are needed to replicate these findings and to understand their biological mechanisms. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01174875.
authors.affiliation: Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences and.
authors.forename: Linde
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: van Lee
authors.affiliation: Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and.
authors.forename: Mya Thway
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Tint
authors.affiliation: Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences and.
authors.forename: Izzuddin M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Aris
authors.affiliation: Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences and.
authors.forename: Phaik Ling
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Quah
authors.affiliation: Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences and.|Departments of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging and.
authors.forename: Marielle V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Fortier
authors.affiliation: Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences and.|Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, and.
authors.forename: Yung Seng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Endocrinology, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore.|Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore; and.
authors.forename: Fabian Kp
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Yap
authors.affiliation: Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Seang Mei
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Saw
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit and National Institute for Health Research Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Keith M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Godfrey
authors.affiliation: Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences and.|Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Gluckman
authors.affiliation: Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences and.|Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and.
authors.forename: Yap Seng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.affiliation: Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and.|Departments of Pediatrics and.|Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.affiliation: Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences and ephmcff@nus.edu.sg.|Clinical Nutrition Research Center, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, Singapore.|Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Mary Foong-Fong
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Chong
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001622:Betaine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood*; D001724:Birth Weight; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002794:Choline / Q000097:blood; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012846:Singapore; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine; D001622:Betaine; D005492:Folic Acid; D008715:Methionine; D002794:Choline; D014805:Vitamin B 12
keywords: adiposity; betaine; birth weight; infants; pregnancy