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Overview |
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Carnitine, also known as L-carnitine (levocarnitine) is a quaternary ammonium compound synthesized from the amino acids lysine and methionine primarily in the liver and kidneys.
It helps in the consumption and disposal of fat in the body because it is responsible for the transport of fatty acids from the cytosol into the mitochondria. It is often sold as a nutritional supplement.
Originally found as a growth factor for mealworms and labeled vitamin Bt. Natural carnitine is the L-stereoisomer.
L-carnitine promotes normal growth and development helps building muscles; protects against a number of diseases – muscle disease, liver disease, kidney disease, diabetes. It makes low-calorie diets easier to tolerate by reducing feelings of hunger and weakness and increase energy and activity in people.
L-carnitine provides a major source of energy for muscles; increases the use of fat as an energy source, thus preventing fatty buildup in the heart, liver, and skeletal muscles; strengthens the heart muscle, by improving oxygen utilization; lowers blood pressure; reduces health risks posed by poor fat metabolism associated with diabetes; lessens the risk of heart disease, by lowering blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels; useful in treating Alzheimer's disease and age-related memory loss; builds muscle tissue and increases stamina; aids in weight loss; increases sperm count and motility.
There are two major functions of L-carnitine. All tissues except the brain use long-chain fatty acids for bioenergy production. In cardiac and skeletal muscle, a major contribution of bioenergy comes from the beta-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids. Long-chain fatty acids require L-carnitine to transport them across the inner membranes of the mitochondria, wherein their metabolism produces bioenergy. Following the delivery of long-chain fatty acids into other mitochondria, L-carnitine, either by itself or esterified to an acyl group, recrosses the mitochondrial membrane to allow for continual use in this shuttle process.
Another function of L-carnitine is to remove short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids from the mitochondria in order to maintain coenzyme A levels in these organelles. These fatty acids accumulate as a result of normal and abnormal metabolism. This mechanism prevents the build-up in the mitochondria of short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids that may interfere with the bioenergy-producing process vital to the normal function of the cell.
External links
. Article on Carnitine
. Molecule of the Month
. Carnitine Team
. Why Carnitine?
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. Applications
. Studies
It can be synthesised within the body from the amino acids lysine or methionine. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is essential to the synthesis of carnitine.
It has been speculated that during growth or pregnancy the requirement of carnitine could exceed its natural production.