What is L-Carnitine?
L-carnitine, also known as levocarnitine, is a naturally occurring amino acid structure that the body produces. Amino acids combine to make proteins, which carry out many essential tasks in the body. L-carnitine helps the body break down fatty acids and turn them into energy to power the cells.
The main role of L-carnitine involves mitochondrial function and energy generation. It is a well-established biochemical fact that this nutrient acts as a transporter molecule, carrying fat into the mitochondria for energy conversion. So it's a great fat burner in itself!
Our bodies’ cells do manufacture the vitamin-like substance, L-carnitine, but also at insufficient quantities as we age. Human studies have demonstrated the health-promoting effects of supplemental L-carnitine as well.
The Journal of Biological Chemistry recently published “Carnitine Insufficiency Caused by Aging and Overnutrition Compromises Mitochondrial Performance and Metabolic Control.” Submitted by a team of researchers from Duke University (Durham, NC), East Carolina University (Greenville, NC) and the University of Barcelona (Barcelona, Spain), the article presents the results of an animal investigation into the potential therapeutic benefits of oral administration of the nutrient L-carnitine.
This nutrient functions as a transport molecule for the transfer of fatty acids into the mitochondria. These fatty acids can be converted into metabolites, which are used, along with blood glucose, in the production of energy.
The researchers stipulated that certain conditions, i.e., high processed foods and saturated fat diets and excessive consumption of sugars, cause a depletion of L-carnitine in tissues of the body. This deficiency results in the build-up of incompletely oxidized fatty acids in the mitochondria, a metabolic dysfunction that, in turn, inhibits glucose uptake by the cells. The associated increase in blood glucose levels translates to a higher incidence of the pre-diabetic state known as metabolic syndrome.
In a two-month experiment designed to demonstrate the effects of supplementing L-carnitine, the team added the nutrient to a high-fat diet fed to one group of mice.
A second group of mice, the control animals, received the same diet without the L-carnitine. The mice treated with L-carnitine showed a significant decrease in blood glucose and an increase in glucose tolerance.
Based on these impressive results, the investigators concluded that supplementing L-carnitine replenishes the nutrient’s cellular pool. Maintaining enough L-carnitine to carry fats out of (reverse fat transport), as well as into, the mitochondria relieves the metabolic stress placed on this cellular organelle.
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