Peruvian Ground Cherries are in the nightshade family & tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and potatoes. Unripe ground cherries are red and inedible due to the solanine content. The yellow ones have less.
Yes and here OFF TOPIC but I just recovered from a number of sick days after running out of Betaine HCL which I have been taking for a long time. So I wondered if it was just replenishing the stomach acid or a more specific effect of betaine. Why? Because my symptoms were like hyperammonaemia - high blood ammonia - can be caused by SIBO (check) and dehydration (check) and obviously related to protein intake. So this article suggests betaine would be helpful both for the SIBO and the dehydration. Note: betaine is produced by certain salt-tolerant plants to help with dehydration. I note it is used in chickens and pigs to help with heat stress. Heat stress becoming a big problem! Also marketed as TMG - trimethyl glycine, no HCl... checking up on my research, is there anything I am missing?
Here are some snippets from a long article:
At the systemic level, chronic betaine intake lowers core temperature by reducing inflammation markers and changing blood chemistry as shown in several animal models exposed to heat stress
Betaine administration activates AMPK, which enhances genes encoding proteins involved in fatty acid transport and fatty acid oxidation, while decreasing fatty acid synthesis, thereby preventing triglyceride and cholesterol accumulation in the liver
Betaine supplementation to male mice fed a high-fat diet prevented betaine deficiency, insulin resistance, and fatty liver, and normalized serum ALT levels
Mice fed a high-sucrose diet also exhibit significant fat accumulation and increased lipogenic activity in the liver similar to what was seen in high-fat diet administration, which were attenuated with betaine treatment via upregulation of AMPK
Betaine treatment led to a substantial rise in the motor unit activity and recovery of residual power in weakened muscle tissues of patients with acute anterior poliomyelitis, which resulted in improved sense of well-being, less fatigue, and greater strength and endurance during treatment [4,7,208,209].
Singhal et al. reported that betaine via the BHMT-catalyzed pathway exerted epigenetic control and activated neuroprotective transcriptional programs in the brain of mice with multiple sclerosis by restoring the methylation potential (SAM:SAH ratio) and preventing axonal damage [210].
That sounds like it is on the topic of gene differences affecting the interlinked methylation cycles. Upregulation of the CBS transsulfuration pathway can lead to ammonia excess. I will have to take a look at the graphics to see which gene might be different in you that taking betaine helped. // In the meantime I would get back on the betaine HCl.
With too little betaine, then there would be too little Dimethylglycine and that leads to excess homocysteine and CBS gene overactivity breaking that down to other things can result in one of the end products being excess ammonia and ammonia smelling urine. That is in the next set of notes though. third set actually, 3a - look at the transsulfuration slides. Excess homocysteine can lead to excess ammonia.
"Individual assessment of serum ammonia levels in association with
genetic assessment is to be recommended before considering dietary
alterations
– Urinary ammonia is a less reliable method for testing CBS activity. Rather
Hey Jennifer, I think the potatoes turn green when exposed to light, maybe more GA is generated, as is the case with sprouting.
That makes sense. Thanks!
Yes and here OFF TOPIC but I just recovered from a number of sick days after running out of Betaine HCL which I have been taking for a long time. So I wondered if it was just replenishing the stomach acid or a more specific effect of betaine. Why? Because my symptoms were like hyperammonaemia - high blood ammonia - can be caused by SIBO (check) and dehydration (check) and obviously related to protein intake. So this article suggests betaine would be helpful both for the SIBO and the dehydration. Note: betaine is produced by certain salt-tolerant plants to help with dehydration. I note it is used in chickens and pigs to help with heat stress. Heat stress becoming a big problem! Also marketed as TMG - trimethyl glycine, no HCl... checking up on my research, is there anything I am missing?
Here are some snippets from a long article:
At the systemic level, chronic betaine intake lowers core temperature by reducing inflammation markers and changing blood chemistry as shown in several animal models exposed to heat stress
Betaine administration activates AMPK, which enhances genes encoding proteins involved in fatty acid transport and fatty acid oxidation, while decreasing fatty acid synthesis, thereby preventing triglyceride and cholesterol accumulation in the liver
Betaine supplementation to male mice fed a high-fat diet prevented betaine deficiency, insulin resistance, and fatty liver, and normalized serum ALT levels
Mice fed a high-sucrose diet also exhibit significant fat accumulation and increased lipogenic activity in the liver similar to what was seen in high-fat diet administration, which were attenuated with betaine treatment via upregulation of AMPK
Betaine treatment led to a substantial rise in the motor unit activity and recovery of residual power in weakened muscle tissues of patients with acute anterior poliomyelitis, which resulted in improved sense of well-being, less fatigue, and greater strength and endurance during treatment [4,7,208,209].
Singhal et al. reported that betaine via the BHMT-catalyzed pathway exerted epigenetic control and activated neuroprotective transcriptional programs in the brain of mice with multiple sclerosis by restoring the methylation potential (SAM:SAH ratio) and preventing axonal damage [210].
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8224793/
Betaine can help in so many ways because it is a methyl donor in the methylation cycles and that affects cell nucleus epigenetic control.
That sounds like it is on the topic of gene differences affecting the interlinked methylation cycles. Upregulation of the CBS transsulfuration pathway can lead to ammonia excess. I will have to take a look at the graphics to see which gene might be different in you that taking betaine helped. // In the meantime I would get back on the betaine HCl.
I paid some money $$$ for an RD Con't Ed course on methylation - here is some of the notes: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2pm1qhe9zsu0h4ib2nbeo/Nutritional-Implications-in-Methylation-Part-1.pdf?rlkey=usn2wv6dmqb9wfjklif1cunyl&dl=0 A PEMT dysfunctional allele might leave a person with a lack of choline which is needed to become betaine in methylation cycles.
With too little betaine, then there would be too little Dimethylglycine and that leads to excess homocysteine and CBS gene overactivity breaking that down to other things can result in one of the end products being excess ammonia and ammonia smelling urine. That is in the next set of notes though. third set actually, 3a - look at the transsulfuration slides. Excess homocysteine can lead to excess ammonia.
"Individual assessment of serum ammonia levels in association with
genetic assessment is to be recommended before considering dietary
alterations
– Urinary ammonia is a less reliable method for testing CBS activity. Rather
test serum ammonia" https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8mgiw5csa98gkxxsh3vgp/Nutritional-Implications-of-Methylation-Part-3A-Transsulfuration.pdf?rlkey=spepgo2xtbzefsw2scjrmo6gw&dl=0
Thank you so much! I will look at these notes. Meanwhile back on the Betaine HCl, and considering TMG. Have put in a query about TMG for horses, too.
Good luck. If you are interested in the part 2 notes I have that too. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/kvou2tiln1znl2k5j3syj/Nutritional-Implications-of-Mathylation-Part-2-Folate-Cycle.pdf?rlkey=glzph3k7mjftaxzg98rwd9m8z&dl=0
This is just the beginning; long course, in depth of the varied parts of the interlinked cycles.
Excellent info on golden berries. My husband calls them “Angel berries,” because he loves them so much!
Damn! I bought the first ripe Purple Cherokee heirlooms at the farmer's market yesterday, and am planning a monster tomato sandwich!
If you don't have fibromyalgia you should be fine, anti-cancer and other eye health benefits in fact.
My afflictions are limited in that regard, and the lycopene is good for the prostate! 😁