Methylation – Research & Answers

Metabolic HealthMar 15, 2026

Trimethylglycine Has Strong Lab Science, but Human Trials Are Just Getting Started

Trimethylglycine (TMG) is one of those compounds that does a lot of heavy lifting in your body without getting much credit. It serves as both a cell protector and a methyl donor, two roles that touch everything from liver health to cardiovascular function. The biochemistry is solid, the animal data are extensive, and a handful of human studies point to real benefits for fatty liver and exercise performance. The gap? Large, long-term clinical trials are still missing for most of the conditions TMG might help. TMG is a natural metabolite of choline, found abundantly in beets, spinach, wheat, and many other foods. Your body also makes it from choline, with the highest concentrations showing up in the kidney, liver, and brain. You're already consuming some from your diet. The question is whether supplementing more of it makes a meaningful difference.

NutrientsMar 15, 2026

Methylated Vitamins Bypass a Genetic Bottleneck, But More Isn't Always Better

Methylated B vitamins reduced homocysteine by roughly 30% and LDL cholesterol by about 7.5% compared to placebo in people carrying common gene variants that impair normal B vitamin processing. That's a meaningful result. But the same research that makes the case for methylated forms also raises a less comfortable point: too much synthetic folic acid or B12 over time may disrupt the very methylation pathways these vitamins are supposed to support, with potential links to cancer risk and altered neurodevelopment. The story of methylated vitamins is really a story about a biochemical bottleneck, who it affects, and why the form of the vitamin you take matters as much as whether you take it at all.