Home
latest research for carnitine
May 10, 2009
Email this article | Printer friendly page | Bookmark this article | Discuss this on the ProSource Fitness Forum
I have heard some exciting new developments about carnitine, can you tell us what the latest research shows for this supplement?
The textbook function of
carnitine
is to help transport fat into the furnace of the cell for burning.
Therefore the primary reason to supplement with carnitine has been as a
fat burner, and some but not all studies support this
function of supplemental carnitine. Several lines of evidence however
point to additional beneficial effects that help speed recovery from
exercise. For example carnitine injected into the bloodstream reduced
the amount of oxidative stress and increased blood flow. Carnitine was
shown in one animal study to increase blood flow and force production.
Studies have shown that carnitine has antioxidant effects that decrease
production of bad superoxide anions and increase generation of potent
substances that increase dilation of blood vessels such as nitric oxide
and prostacyclin. In healthy men, we reported that carnitine
supplementation (2 g/day for 3 wks) resulted in significantly less
accumulation of stress markers in response to resistance exercise
including free radical formation, tissue damage, and muscle soreness.
We recently performed a study to validate our prior work and determine
if ingesting a smaller dose of carnitine could also provide a
beneficial effect. Healthy men performed a resistance exercise
challenge that included 5 sets of squat exercise on 3 separate
occasions. For 3 weeks prior to each test, subjects ingested either 1 g
of carnitine L-tartrate (LCLT) per day, 2 g LCLT/day, or a placebo.
Similar to our previous work, in this new study we showed that
carnitine supplementation was effective at reducing the acute response
of several markers of biochemical stress after resistance exercise
including hypoxanthine, xanthine oxidase, and myglobin. In addition,
perception of muscle soreness was lower after exercise with carnitine
supplementation. A novel finding was that 1 g/day of carnitine was as
effective as 2 g/day. The findings indicate that in additional to the
traditional role of carnitine as a fat burner, this dietary supplement
also helps during recovery from intense exercise. Collectively, these
studies point to new roles of carnitine in mitigating the biochemical
stress response to exercise and at a lower dose than previously
thought.
-- answer by: Jeff Volek.
Disclaimer: The articles featured herein are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Specific medical advice should only be obtained from a licensed health care professional. No liability is assumed by ProSource for any information herein.
 Return to Top
 Click Here for Important Safety Information
ProSource.net-Discount body building supplements
Site Links:
|
Store Links:
|
Content Links:
|
Discover Bodybuilding's Best!Includes cutting edge articles, in-depth research, expert Q&A plus the absolute lowest prices and best product selection available anywhere!
|
Stay Connected!
Join the ProSource Network for Exclusive Sales,Expert Product Analysis and Up-to-the-Minute News!
|
Sign up for our FREE Email Newsletter to receive special offers and upcoming events for VIP customers only. click here.
|
|
Advertisement
ProSource Proudly Supports:
|
|