Studies On L-carnitine

L-Carnitine was first found in In 1905muscle extracts by Gulewitch and Krimberg and was so named from the Latin caro, carnis (meaning flesh or meat). In 1927 the chemical structure of L-Carnitine was confirmed.

In 1935 Strack published his first article about L-Carnitine and initiated decades of investigations into the physiological functions of L-Carnitine. Studies have been conducted on L-carnitine since as early as 1937.

Those studies yielded positive results suggesting that the body's cardiovascular system can greatly benefit from its intake. There are a variety of published studies that suggest L-carnitine is useful in increasing the heart's output and improving it's functioning, as well as stimulating the heart's energy supply and supporting cardiac performance.

In 1952 Fraenkel worked on nutritional requirements of mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) and found they require L-Carnitine as an essential growth factor in addition to folic acid and the other known B vitamins. Fraenkel isolated L-Carnitine from liver extract and gave it the name 'vitamin BT'. In 1958 Fritz found that L-Carnitine increased the rate at which cells (mitochondria) burned fat. This established L-Carnitine's fundamental role in fat oxidation.

In 1993 Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) - an independent expert committee of scientists - evaluated the GRAS status of L-Carnitine as a dietary supplement. They concluded that L-Carnitine and its freely ionizable salts such as L-Carnitine L-Tartrate and L-Carnitine Magnesium Citrate can be safely ingested by adults at 20 mg/kg/day (1200 mg for a 60 kg person) for a broad range of uses.