Betaine prevents ethanol-induced oxidative stress and reduces total homocysteine in the rat cerebellum.

Oxidative stress is a hypothesis for the association of reactive oxygen species with cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, we examined whether oral betaine can act as a preventive agent in ethanol-induced oxidative stress on the cerebellum of rats. Thirty-two adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four equal groups (control, ethanol, betaine, and betaine plus ethanol) with different dietary regimens and were followed up for 1 month.