Introduction Betaine (trimethylglycine), the trimethylated compound of the amino acid glycine, is an essential biochemical component of the methionine/homocysteine cycle. Betaine acts as a donor of methyl (CH 3 ) groups and, as such, is often used as a nutritional supplement to lower plasma homocysteine levels, and as a lipotropic; i.e., a substance that improves liver function. Betaine also he...

To approach the mechanism of the lipotropic effect of myoinositol, rates of incorporations of injected 14C-acetate and 14C-leucine into cholesterol and protein moiety respectively, of plasma lipoprotein of rats, partly recovered from Handler's fatty liver with this cyclitol, were investigated in comparison with those of fatty liver control. The results indicated that the incorporations of these...