Fibrates plus betaine: a winning combination?

Abstract

Because most of the cardiac risk remains despite successful statin therapy there has been renewed interest in fibrate therapy for persisting hyperlipidaemia. Fibrate therapy lowers triglycerides but causes the urinary loss of betaine, which is an essential metabolite that is involved in osmoregulation, in methyl group metabolism, and which also affects lipid partitioning in the body. Loss of betaine is associated with an elevation of homocysteine and may compromise the potential benefits of fibrate therapy. However, betaine deficiency could be easily and inexpensively corrected by concurrent betaine supplementation. Clinical trials of combinations of betaine and fibrate, to complement statin therapy, are needed to determine the value of these agents in reducing the residual cardiovascular disease risk.