Dimethylglycine Unit Converter

Dimethylglycine (DMG) is an amino acid derivative produced when the body uses betaine as a methyl donor. It is an intermediate in the choline-to-glycine metabolic pathway, which plays a central role in one-carbon metabolism and the methylation cycle.

When betaine donates one of its three methyl groups to homocysteine (converting it back to methionine), the resulting molecule is DMG. DMG is then further broken down to sarcosine and eventually glycine, feeding one-carbon units into the folate cycle at each step.

Plasma DMG levels reflect both how actively the body is using the betaine pathway to clear homocysteine and how efficiently DMG is being broken down. It is commonly measured as part of a methylation panel alongside markers such as homocysteine, betaine, SAM, SAH, and sarcosine.

DMG is produced primarily in the liver and kidneys when the enzyme BHMT transfers a methyl group from betaine to homocysteine. Small amounts also come from dietary sources such as beans, legumes, liver, and grains, but most circulating DMG is made in the body from choline and betaine metabolism.