Betaine Anhydrous: 7 Critical Facts on Dosing

Betaine anhydrous in brief

Three numbers sum up betaine anhydrous. The size of its effect on strength, the dose most trials used, and the rise in LDL cholesterol at a higher dose.

Every figure on this page comes from a PubMed abstract listed at the end. Effect size labels like small and medium are a rule of thumb. Doses are reported as study facts.

What this guide covers

What is betaine anhydrous and what does it do?

Betaine, also called trimethylglycine or TMG, is a natural compound first found in sugar beets. Anhydrous just means the dry form without water. You already eat some: seafood and wheat germ or bran are about 1 percent betaine, and spinach about 0.7 percent (PMID 15321791).

Betaine has two main jobs in the body. It helps cells hold water and cope with stress like heat or dehydration. It also donates methyl groups in the liver, which helps keep a compound called homocysteine in check (PMID 15321791).

How it might help training is less clear. Ideas include more creatine made in the body, better cell hydration, and less sense of fatigue. A 2014 review called the mechanisms poorly understood (PMID 24760587).

Betaine anhydrous benefits for strength: the pooled data

The best evidence is a 2024 review of 17 placebo controlled studies with 317 people. They were aged 15 to 60 and took betaine for at least 7 days. The chart shows what changed.

Betaine improved maximal strength with an effect size of 0.47, mostly in the lower body. Vertical jump improved after one low quality study was removed. There was no clear effect on upper body strength, cycling sprints, bench press throws or muscular endurance (PMID 39514262).

A 2026 network review of supplements for jumping found betaine added about 3.72 cm to the countermovement jump compared with placebo. The authors warned that some results were not robust in their sensitivity checks (PMID 42821324).

The individual betaine trials, in plain words

Looking at single trials shows why the results feel mixed. Some found clear gains, others found nothing.

A 2017 review of 7 good quality trials summed it up. Only 2 found gains in strength or power, of up to 24.61 percent. The other 5 found no change (PMID 28426517).

Does a betaine supplement change body fat?

Here the two main reviews disagree.

A 2019 review pooled 6 trials with 195 people. Betaine lowered fat mass by about 2.53 kg and body fat percentage by about 2.44 points. Body weight did not change (PMID 31623137).

A larger 2022 review found no effect on body weight, fat mass, body fat percentage or fat free mass. That held across age, sex, dose and trial length (PMID 34743773).

In one 6 week trial of trained men, body fat improved with 2.5 grams a day, while the placebo group did not change (PMID 23967897). Single trials like this are what make the early review look positive.

Betaine anhydrous dosage in the studies

There is no official dose. Studies on betaine for sport and health used 500 to 9,000 mg a day (PMID 24760587). Here is what the strength trials used.

The pooled strength benefit came from taking betaine for at least 7 days (PMID 39514262). Timing around the workout matters less than taking it every day.

Betaine anhydrous side effects and the LDL catch

Betaine is a normal part of food, and the short sport trials did not flag safety problems in their abstracts. But one finding matters for anyone watching their heart health.

Three placebo controlled studies in 151 healthy people gave 6 grams a day of betaine for 6 weeks. LDL cholesterol rose by 0.36 mmol/L and blood triglycerides by 0.14 mmol/L compared with placebo. The ratio of total to HDL cholesterol also rose (PMID 15916468).

That was at 6 grams a day, more than double the usual sport dose. Whether 2.5 grams a day raises LDL in the same way was not tested in these abstracts.

How to check a label for a real betaine anhydrous dose

Betaine anhydrous is often hidden inside a pre workout blend. Here is a quick checklist. It is a rule of thumb built from the trials above.

Seven critical facts about betaine anhydrous

1. It is a food compound, also called TMG. Found in beets, seafood, wheat bran and spinach (PMID 15321791).

2. It gives a small to medium boost in maximal strength. Effect size 0.47, mostly in the legs (PMID 39514262).

3. Upper body strength and endurance did not clearly improve. (PMID 39514262).

4. Single trials are mixed. Only 2 of 7 good trials found gains in a 2017 review (PMID 28426517).

5. It is not a proven fat burner. The 2022 review found no change in body fat (PMID 34743773).

6. Most strength trials used 2.5 grams a day. (PMID 22080324, PMID 23967897).

7. At 6 grams a day it raised LDL cholesterol. (PMID 15916468).

So, is betaine anhydrous worth taking?

For strength, maybe. The pooled data show a small to medium gain in maximal strength, mostly in the lower body (PMID 39514262). Individual trials are mixed, and some found nothing (PMID 28426517, PMID 22080324).

For fat loss, no. The broadest review found no change in body composition (PMID 34743773). And at higher doses, betaine raised LDL cholesterol (PMID 15916468).

Our take: if your pre workout already has 2 to 2.5 grams of betaine, fine. If not, put your money into creatine first. More guides sit on the supplements hub and in evidence based supplements.