L-Carnitine
February 19, 2009 by About Supplements
Filed under Diet - Weight Loss Supplement Reviews
L-Carnitine
What is it?
L-Carnitine is an amino acid like substance the body synthesizes from the amino acid Lysine. The vitamins B-6, niacin, C, with iron and the amino acid methionine are required for production of carnitine in the body. The major dietary source of carnitine comes from animal meats, especially red meats (i.e. steak from cows, lamb and sheep). Carnitine has many functions in the human body, but is best known for its ability to shuttle long chain fatty acids across the membrane of cells so they can be burned (oxidized) for energy by the mitochondria.
Mitochondria are often referred to as the “power house” of cells where energy is produced. The actual process of how carnitine shuttles fatty acids to the mitochondria is fairly complex and detailed. Suffice to say, it involves several enzymes and steps before the fats you want to burn end up being utilized by the mitochondria. So, the carnitine shuttle system is essential for the body to be able to burn fats as energy, and this information can be found in any decent biochemistry text book.
What is it supposed to do?
As the above section mentions, carnitine is sold in hopes that it will help the body shuttle more fatty acids into cells to be used as energy rather than stored as abdominal blurring blubber. The idea is that taking in additional carnitine will supposedly help the body burn more fat for energy and make dieting more effective. Carnitine is also sold as a sports supplement for increasing energy and may have several medical uses. The concept is pretty straight forward, but does it actually work?
For more detailed information, including effectiveness, dosages, possible side effects as well as independent science based reviews of over 60 weight loss ingredients we recommend the well respected Will Brink’s supplement review module found in his complete Fat Loss Revealed program.
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