L-carnitine is a nutrient that is essential for the metabolism of fats and energy. It is found in meat, dairy, beans and avocado, and also is produced by the body in the liver and kidneys. The body usually can make all the carnitine it needs, but some people are unable to produce enough, and certain health conditions and medications also can cause insufficient carnitine in the body. Supplementing with carnitine has been implicated as helpful to a variety of disorders, but talk to your health care practitioner before supplementing with it.
List of Purported Uses
According to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, or MSKCC, carnitine has been purported as useful for the prevention of HIV and AIDS-associated muscle wasting. It also is thought to help prevent cancer-related cachexia, a condition characterized by weight loss, muscle wasting, fatigue and weakness. Additional purported uses include the reduction of chemotherapy side effects and the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome, circulatory disorders, diabetes, diabetic neuropathy, erectile dysfunction, hyperthyroidism, infertility and kidney disease. It also might enhance strength and stamina, increase exercise performance and help you to lose weight. However, the evidence of the usefulness of carnitine supplements for these uses is largely anecdotal and more research needs to be done to confirm the efficacy of carnitine for these purposes.
Heart Health
L-carnitine is helpful for a variety of heart-related disorders, and the University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMM, says several clinical studies indicate it as helpful for angina. Angina is a condition caused when your heart does not get enough blood and is characterized by chronic chest pain. When taken as an adjunct to conventional medications, carnitine supplements have been found to help reduce chest pain and improve exercise tolerance in angina patients. MSKCC says it also might reduce high cholesterol levels and prevent chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders.
Potentially Useful to Heart Attack and Heart Failure Patients
The evidence is not as strong, but a few small studies showed that carnitine might help improve muscle weakness after a heart attack. Some studies also showed carnitine as helpful at reducing the risk for subsequent heart attacks or heart failure, and it might reduce chest pain and help to prevent abnormal heart rhythms. Preliminary research suggests that carnitine also might reduce symptoms of heart failure and improve exercise capacity in heart failure patients. UMM warns, however, that studies done on the usefulness of carnitine in heart attacks and heart failure patients have shown conflicting results, and you should supplement with it only under the supervision of your doctor.
Brain Health
According to the "Current Medical Research and Opinion" journal, carnitine seems to have neuroprotective properties, meaning it can help to protect against neurological disorders. UMM says that carnitine might help to delay the progression of Alzheimer's disease and preliminary research suggests that long-term treatment with carnitine helps to increase the attention span of Alzheimer's sufferers. Carnitine also might relieve depression related to senility and dementia, and improve memory in the elderly. Side effects of carnitine supplementation are uncommon, but can include heartburn, blurred vision, skin rash, seizures, flu-like symptoms, headache, diarrhea and hypertension.
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