Effect of egg consumption on circulating choline, betaine, and trimethylamine n-oxide in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Aryaeian N, Heydarian A, Tahvilian N, Hosseini H, Ahmadi AR, Davarpanah SH
Nutrition journal · 2 citas
Cómo se estudió
- Diseño
- Metaanálisis (indexado por PubMed)
- Estudiado en
- Personas
- Resultado principal
- Marcadores de salud y funcionamiento
- Consumo medido con
- No se indica
Quién lo pagó
- Financiación
- Financiación independiente
- Universidad u hospital
- Iran University of Medical Sciences
Según 1 financiador declarado.
Publicación
- Publicado
- 2025-10-27 · Nutr J · vol. 24 · número 1 · pág. 165
- Editorial
- BioMed Central
- Citado
- 4 citas · más que el 76% de estudios similares · 1.1× el promedio de su campo
- Referencias
- 64 trabajos
- Acceso
- Acceso abierto (revista) · CC-BY-NC-ND
- Áreas de investigación
- Folate and B Vitamins Research · Metabolism and Genetic Disorders · Alcoholism and Thiamine Deficiency
- Palabras clave
- Randomized controlled trial, Choline, Betaine, Trimethylamine, Consumption (sociology)
- MeSH
- humans, choline, betaine, methylamines, diet, eggs, adult, middle aged, female, male, randomized controlled trials as topic
6 autores
- Naheed Aryaeian🇮🇷Iran University of Medical Sciences
- Azadeh Heydarian🇮🇷Iran University of Medical Sciences
- Negin Tahvilian🇮🇷Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services
- Hossein Mirshojaeian Hosseini🇮🇷Urmia University; Urmia University of Medical Sciences
- Amirhossein Ramezani Ahmadi🇮🇷Isfahan University of Medical Sciences
- Seyedeh Hajar Davarpanah🇮🇷 · autor de correspondenciaIran University of Medical Sciences; Tehran University of Medical Sciences
Resumen
El texto original del estudio, en el idioma en que se publicó.
Background and objective
Eggs are rich in choline and other methyl donors that may influence metabolic health, yet their effects on circulating metabolites such as choline, betaine, and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) remain unclear. Understanding these effects is critical due to potential links with cardiometabolic risk. This study aimed to systematically evaluate and quantitatively synthesize the effects of egg consumption on plasma levels of choline, betaine, and TMAO in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and to explore potential effect modifiers.
Methods
A systematic search of electronic databases was conducted to identify RCTs examining the effects of egg consumption on circulating choline, betaine, and TMAO. Data were pooled using random-effects meta-analyses. Subgroup analyses were performed based on age, body mass index, health status, study design, duration, and egg dosage. Meta-regression was conducted to assess the influence of age, dose, and duration. Publication bias was evaluated using Egger's and Begg's tests, funnel plots, and trim-and-fill analysis. The certainty of evidence was assessed using the NutriGRADE tool, which is specifically recommended for nutrition meta-analyses.
Results
Six RCTs (n = 5 for betaine and TMAO; n = 6 for choline) were included. Multi-arm trials were combined into single pairwise comparisons per outcome, as per Cochrane Handbook Sect. 23.3.4, to avoid unit-of-analysis errors. No significant overall effects were observed for choline (WMD = 0.10; 95% CI: - 0.92 to 1.12; p = 0.847), betaine (WMD = 0.21; 95% CI: - 8.50 to 8.92; p = 0.962), or TMAO (WMD = - 0.08; 95% CI: - 0.47 to 0.32; p = 0.692). High heterogeneity was noted for choline and betaine (I² > 85%), but low for TMAO (I² = 23%). Subgroup analyses showed significant choline increases among older adults (> 45 years) and individuals with metabolic syndrome or obesity. Meta-regression revealed a negative association between egg dose and both choline and betaine levels (p < 0.001). Publication bias was suggested for betaine but not for choline or TMAO. The NutriGRADE assessment indicated moderate certainty of evidence for choline (score 7.75), betaine (7.05), and TMAO (7.25), with downgrades mainly due to imprecision and heterogeneity.
Conclusions
No clear effect of egg consumption on circulating choline, betaine, or TMAO levels could be demonstrated. Age and metabolic status may influence choline responses, and higher egg doses may attenuate choline and betaine levels. Based on NutriGRADE, the overall certainty of evidence was rated as moderate for all three outcomes. Further long-term, high-quality RCTs are needed to clarify these associations.
Resumen vía Europe PMC. Los derechos de autor siguen siendo de los autores o la editorial (CC BY-NC-ND).
Confianza de la comunidad
Cargando…
¿Cuánto confías en los hallazgos de este estudio?
Comentarios
¿Algo está mal aquí?
Señala este estudio si su información, etiquetas o financiación parecen incorrectas. Un editor revisa cada señalamiento.
Información educativa sobre investigación publicada. No es consejo médico ni una recomendación para empezar o dejar nada.