Xie L, Zhao BX, Luo J, et al. - In this nested case-control study, researchers intended to determine if there is a connection between baseline serum betaine (a micronutrient) and the incident risk of the first stroke in hypertensive patients. The sample consisted of 622 individuals with first stroke and 622 matched controls from the China Stroke Primary Prevention Trial. The research took place between May 2008 and August 2013. A U-shaped relationship was found between baseline serum betaine and the risk of first ischemic stroke. The authors discovered that first ischemic stroke risk reduced with the increment of betaine in patients with betaine < 77.7 μmol/L, whereas first ischemic stroke risk increased with the betaine increment in patients with betaine ≥ 77.7 μmol/L. However, no significant link was discovered between serum betaine and risk of first hemorrhagic stroke.