What are the benefits of L-Carnitine?
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Photo by Supplements On Demand
By: Mark Sisson
L-carnitine is a compound the human body produces in small amounts out of the amino acids lysine and methionine to facilitate the transfer of long chain fatty acids into mitochondria for energy production. But most of the carnitine we use comes from the animal products we eat, particularly red meat, and if you really want a large dose you’ll need to supplement. And that’s what most people are referring to when they talk about L-carnitine: the supplement.
As a supplement, L-carnitine offers a host of benefits across a wide variety of physiological systems:
Weight loss
Body recomposition
Energy production
Hormone optimization
Endothelial function
Heart health
Liver health
Antioxidant status and oxidative stress
Cognitive function
Let’s explore these in more detail.
Fat loss
L-carnitine increases fat utilization at the mitochondrial level, thereby reducing fat stores and increasing fat loss. Could it all be so simple? Yes, it actually works. It’s not a wonder supplement. It’s not going to result in rapid fat loss and it’s no wonder weight loss drug. But it helps:
A meta-analysis of human studies found that L-carnitine supplementation has a modest effect on fat loss.1
Another meta-analysis found similar results.2
Body recomposition
Body recomposition means improving the tissue distribution of your body—reducing body fat and increasing lean mass, which includes muscle, bone, and connective tissue. Body recomposition is actually even more important than “weight loss,” since we all want to lose body fat and build muscle, not just “lose weight.” Turns out that L-carnitine helps immensely with this.
Dialysis patients who take L-carnitine retain more lean muscle mass while improving their ability to function in the world.3
Children with a muscle wasting disease had much lower levels of carnitine in their blood.4
Carnitine increases fat burning in overweight subjects while maintaining lean mass and blocking the protein catabolism that normally accompanies fat loss.5
In pancreatic cancer patients, those taking carnitine lived longer and gained weight, while those not taking L-carnitine died earlier and lost weight.6
In elderly patients with rapid muscle fatigue, L-carnitine helps lower fat mass, increase strength, and increase lean muscle mass.7
Recent guidelines even stress the role of carnitine in red meat’s ability to counter sarcopenia, or muscle wasting.8
Energy production
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