Is L-carnitine helpfull for weight loss?
Interest in the potential of L-carnitine supplementation to improve athletic performance is related to its important roles in energy metabolism, NOT REALLY WEIGHT LOSS. A number of small, uncontrolled studies have reported that either acute (dose given one hour before exercise bout) or short-term (two to three weeks) L-carnitine supplementation (2 to 4 grams/day) was associated with increases in maximal oxygen uptake and decreases in plasma lactate (82-85). Most studies to date have shown no effect of L-carnitine supplementation on physical performance (86). However, conclusions that can be drawn from this research are limited due to small numbers of participants, short duration of supplementation, and lack of appropriate control groups in most studies. Several studies have shown that carnitine supplementation increases plasma carnitine levels (87-91), but studies have failed to demonstrate that carnitine supplementation increases levels of carnitine within skeletal muscle, the site of
