Condition
Dry Mouth
Dry mouth, or xerostomia, happens when the salivary glands make too little saliva, which normally protects teeth and helps with swallowing, speaking and digestion. Betaine has the clearest research, and in a randomized trial of a betaine-containing toothpaste, people reported that their dry mouth symptoms eased. The evidence is moderate, though it rests on one trial of 188 people and the improvement was small.
Sources: PMID 12761586
- Supplements studied
- 1
- Graded outcomes
- 2
- Trials
- 4
- People studied
- 188
Evidence by supplement
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salivation Small Increase | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 3 studies | 143 people | ||
Studies that measured salivation
| ||||||
| Dry Mouth Symptoms Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 1 study | 188 people | ||
Studies that measured dry mouth symptoms | ||||||
Key findings
- SalivationImproves (the measure goes up)
- Dry Mouth SymptomsImproves (the measure goes down)
The Dry Mouth (Xerostomia) Management protocol
2 primary supplements · 6 supporting supplements
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids1–2 g EPA+DHA daily
- Vitamin E400 IU oral daily; topical application as needed
Studies cited
21 studies from PubMed
- Long-term effect of betaine on risk factors associated with the metabolic syndrome in healthy subjects
- The effect of low doses of betaine on plasma homocysteine in healthy volunteers
- Betaine, a promising new agent for patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: results of a pilot study
- Influence of betaine consumption on strenuous running and sprinting in a hot environment
- Effect of betaine supplementation on cycling sprint performance
- Betaine supplementation enhances anabolic endocrine and Akt signaling in response to acute bouts of exercise
- Effect of betaine supplementation on power performance and fatigue
- Effect of 15 days of betaine ingestion on concentric and eccentric force outputs during isokinetic exercise
- Creatine but not betaine supplementation increases muscle phosphorylcreatine content and strength performance
- The effects of chronic betaine supplementation on exercise performance, skeletal muscle oxygen saturation and associated biochemical parameters in resistance trained men
- Ergogenic effects of betaine supplementation on strength and power performance
- Betaine supplementation lowers plasma homocysteine in healthy men and women
- Betaine supplementation decreases plasma homocysteine concentrations but does not affect body weight, body composition, or resting energy expenditure in human subjects
- Orally administered betaine has an acute and dose-dependent effect on serum betaine and plasma homocysteine concentrations in healthy humans
- Betaine supplementation and plasma homocysteine in healthy volunteers
- Dietary and supplementary betaine: effects on betaine and homocysteine concentrations in males
- Betaine for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: results of a randomized placebo-controlled trial
- Evaluation of the clinical efficacy of a betaine-containing mouthwash and an intraoral device for the treatment of dry mouth
- Safety and effectiveness of topical dry mouth products containing olive oil, betaine, and xylitol in reducing xerostomia for polypharmacy-induced dry mouth
- Betaine-containing toothpaste relieves subjective symptoms of dry mouth
- Effects of a betaine-containing toothpaste on subjective symptoms of dry mouth: a randomized clinical trial