L-carnitine is an essential nutrient that the body uses to convert fat into energy. It is also an antioxidant that reduces metabolic stress in the cells. This attribute leads experts to think that carnitine may play a role in the treatment of many diseases. People are rarely conscious of the amount of carnitine in their diets in the same sense that they are conscious of proteins and carbohydrates, but it's an ubiquitous part of the organic world, and so there is very little risk of developing a deficiency.
Synthesis
The liver and kidneys manufacture carnitine from the amino acids lysine and methionine. Amino acids play a critical role as the building blocks of proteins, a group of molecules upon which every cellular process in your body depends. Foods containing lysine include red meat, poultry, pork, cheese, nuts, eggs, soybeans, spirulina, fenugreek seed and certain fish such as cod and sardines. You can also find methionine in eggs, cereal grains, fish, soybeans, meats and certain plant seeds.
Dietary Sources
Under certain conditions your body's demand for L-carnitine may surpass the rate of its synthesis. At this point it becomes an essential nutrient, and you must obtain the remaining carnitine directly from your diet. Red meat --- particularly lamb --- and dairy products are the primary natural sources of carnitine. Other sources include fish, poultry, cereals, leafy green vegetables, apricots, bananas, tempeh, avocados and nuts.
Deficiencies
Although these nutrients are primarily present in meat and animal products, even strict vegetarians can easily obtain enough carnitine to prevent any major deficiencies. The consumption of lentils, soybeans and nuts should suffice to reinforce the proper dosage of carnitine in your diet. Vegetarians may even have a greater capacity to absorb carnitine from foods compared with regular meat eaters who have adapted to high-carnitine diets. Deficiencies are usually related to a genetic disorder, affecting approximately 1 in 100,000 newborns and certain kinds of kidney diseases. Experts have not identified carnitine deficiencies independent of an underlying disorder.
Supplementation
Direct L-carnitine supplementation appears to be a promising treatment for such conditions as intermittent claudication, which is an impairment of walking, and carnitine deficiencies. Its involvement in the treatment of heart failure, angina pectoris, Alzheimer's disease, HIV infection and general age-related decline requires additional study. You should always discuss the use of dietary supplements with your doctor first. Should you begin taking it, the Linus Pauling Institute recommends a daily dose of 500 to 1,000 mg daily.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Carnitine (L-Carnitine); Steven D. Ehrlich; March 2009
- Oregon State University Linus Pauling Institute; L-Carnitine; Jane Higdon; October 2002
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Lysine; Steven D. Ehrlich, et al.; July 2010
- U.S. National Library of Medicine; Primary Carnitine Deficiency; May 2011
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