4.1. In Response to the Dietary Choline and Betaine Provided by the DASH Diet, Plasma Choline Decreased and in Males Plasma Betaine Increased
The study diet provided an average of ~300 mg of dietary choline per day, which was delivered by food only, supplemental choline was not given. The amount of choline supplied by the study diet was below the adequate intake (AI) for adults which is 550 mg per day for males and 425 mg for females [In response to the study diet, plasma choline decreased by 9.6% from baseline to study end (Estimated dietary betaine provided by the study diet had an average of 31.5 mg provided by food only, supplemental betaine was not given. The amount of betaine in the study diet was below dietary intakes reported by other studies. A 2017 systematic review and meta-analysis of six prospective cohort studies using FFQs reported a dietary betaine intake range of 41–478 mg in adults [In the present study, males had higher plasma betaine compared to females at week 12 (