L-Carnitine

More Energy And Less Fat

By Xavier Fox

It seems that everyone in the gym, regardless of what type of workouts they engage in, would like to have more energy so they can train at optimal levels. Of course, sleep and proper nutrition will help keep the body’s internal batteries charged, but since intense exercise puts many stresses on the body that normal activities do not, it becomes imperative for those that train to supplement in order to stay at full throttle day after day. One such supplement that can help an individual produce much needed energy for training is L-carnitine. In addition to aiding with energy production, L-carnitine helps lower triglyceride levels in the blood, raises HDL (good cholesterol) levels, helps add muscle, keeps the heart strong and healthy, acts as an antioxidant, and provides a host of other actions to keep us in good physical shape.

L-carnitine is extremely vital to our survival… so much that it is found in just about every cell of the body. It is an amino acid derivative, and that explains why it is primarily found in animal products. It is very similar in structure to the B-vitamins, and at one time was called vitamin BT. It is also a member of the same family as another popular supplement called choline, which is used by people wanting to reduce fat and cholesterol. L-carnitine is synthesized in the liver and kidneys, from the essential amino acids L-lysine and L-methionine, but niacin, vitamins B6 and C, and iron also play important roles in manufacturing L-carnitine. In normal conditions, your body can produce all of the L-carnitine it needs, but in some cases it will need supplementation. One such case is when your body undergoes rigorous training in the gym on a daily basis. The body’s requirement for L-carnitine exceeds its ability to produce and store it. Vegetarians can also benefit greatly from using L-carnitine supplements, especially if they work out.
The reason that L-carnitine can be found in almost every cell is due to its role in energy production. Except for the brain, all tissues in the body will use long-chain fatty acids to produce energy at the cellular level. The long-chain fatty acids are oxidized to provide energy for muscle tissue, and it is the L-carnitine that transports these long-chained fatty acids across the inner membranes of the mitochondria. Once inside the mitochondria, the fatty acids can be used to manufacture adenosine triphosphate (ATP). L-carnitine is able to continually jump over the mitochondria’s membrane so it can fetch more fatty acids to be used as energy. As a matter-of-fact, L-carnitine is the only nutrient that can transport fat into the mitochondria, which means that if there is none, then no fat gets converted to energy. So, avoiding a deficiency in L-carnitine is kind of important.
As L-carnitine is crossing the mitochondria membrane, it is doing more than just bringing in long-chain fatty acids. It is also removing short and medium-chain fatty acids in order to preserve coenzyme A levels. Coenzyme A plays a vital role in the fatty acid synthesis and oxidation. If L-carnitine does not sustain its own levels, then the short and medium chained fatty acids will accumulate and begin to inhibit the energy production process in the cell. Therefore, a deficiency in L-carnitine equates to a deficiency in the mitochondria’s ability to manufacture energy.
It may already be apparent that since L-carnitine is helping to transport long-chain fatty acids so they can be broken down into energy, it lowers the level of triglycerides in the blood. This is good news if you are interested in lowering your chances of heart disease. In addition, the fact that L-carnitine is aiding in transporting fatty acids to be converted into energy means that it is helping the body burn fat. When L-carnitine levels are at their highest, the burning of fat can take place at its optimal rate.
L-carnitine also increases energy levels in a couple of ways. There have been a multitude of studies that prove L-carnitine is functional in increasing the heart’s output and improving its operation, as well as stimulating the heart’s energy supply and improving cardiac performance. By allowing the heart to operate at maximum capacity, more blood can get to the muscles, which means that more nutrients can get there for recuperation, more oxygen can get to them faster, and more toxins can be removed from muscles. L-carnitine also assists the metabolism of carbohydrates and enhances the rate of turning consumed fuels into energy. Supplementing with L-carnitine lowers lactic acid accumulation and spares glycogen, which are two factors that cause fatigue. This, along with L-carnitine making more fat available for energy conversion, makes it a vital resource in the energy game.
This nutrient is especially valuable to endurance athletes. This is because the burning of fat is of particular importance to aerobic metabolism where oxygen is burned for energy. L-carnitine allows endurance exercise enthusiasts to perform for longer durations without fatigue. If your sport of choice in marathons, cycling, or triathlons, you can increase your level of performance by using L-carnitine.
Burning more fat and increasing endurance are definitely on the “to do” list, but for our readers of BodyFitness, probably the best thing that L-carnitine can do is promote building more muscle. L-carnitine works synergistically with branched chain amino acids to amplify the body’s ability to metabolise them into muscle tissue. Remember that the BCAAs are the majority of amino acids that make up muscle tissues. If you are able to increase the rate that you turn BCAAs into muscle, then you will be able to build more muscle in a shorter time period. It should be safe to assume that very few of you would argue against building more muscle in less time.
Also remember that L-carnitine lowers the accumulation of lactic acid. If there is less lactic acid building up in the muscle during your workout, you will be less likely to succumb to muscle fatigue and soreness. You will be able to lift more intensely for a longer period of time. The additional intensity and training will help you pack on more muscle mass and strength. Not only will using L-carnitine help you get leaner muscle mass, it can help you get more muscle period. Then, the additional muscle will enable you to get even leaner, since having more muscle mass causes you to burn more calories, even when you are resting.
Let’s get back to the subject of the mitochondria. Many researchers are beginning to hypothesize that the aging process begins within the mitochondria. In a report written by a scientist from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of the USA, it was documented that 85% of all oxygen the body uses is burned up within the mitochondria to produce energy. Well, when oxygen is being converted to energy, free radicals are stealing electrons from healthy molecules, and as the damaged molecules accumulate within the cell, it causes cells to age. The cells need a defence against this occurrence if they are to remain healthy.
One of the ways the mitochondria can defend itself is by keeping the membrane flexible with the help of a substance called cardiolipin. Cardiolipin allows smaller molecules to pass through to the mitochondria, especially coenzyme Q10, a nutrient that stimulates the mitochondria’s production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and energy. As oxidation and aging occurs, cardiolipin levels decrease. Luckily for us, carnitine promotes cardiolipin synthesis.
As the NAS reports, “A rapidly growing body of evidence suggests that the apparent age-related deficits in mitochondrial function can be slowed or reversed by Acetyl-L-carnitine, a normal component of the inner mitochondrial membrane that serves as a precursor for acetyl-CoA (needed to synthesize fatty acids) as well as the neurotransmitter acetylcholine”. Acetyl-L-carnitine is converted to L-carnitine, which is stored in the mitochondrial membrane and later converted back to Acetyl-L-carnitine.
The report also specifies how some amino acids can actually be toxic to neurons and lead to neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. However, antioxidants will guard against these toxins, specifically Acetyl-L-carnitine, glutathione, vitamin B3, and CoQ10. All of these will inhibit the exhaustion ATP supplies, which leads to the neurons becoming damaged. Therefore, we see that L-carnitine not only plays a role in energy production and muscle building, it also acts as an antioxidant to prevent damage to cells that counters all of the hard work we put in to being healthy.
Carnitine is available as a supplement in a variety of forms, but only the form L-carnitine (alone or bound to either acetic or propionic acid) is recommended. The most common form is L-carnitine, and it the one that will do the least amount of damage to your pocketbook. L-acetylcarnitine is the form of carnitine that is prescribed for Alzheimer’s disease and other brain disorders. L-propionylcarnitine is the form of carnitine used for the treatment of chest pain and related heart problems, as well as peripheral vascular disease. D-carnitine supplements should never be used as a supplement, because they disturb the function of the natural form of L-carnitine and have been shown to produce undesirable side effects.
For an individual using L-carnitine as a weight loss and muscle building supplement, the recommended dosage is 1000-2000mg daily, which is usually divided into two doses. It is best to take carnitine along with food, and the optimal times would be at breakfast and the meal before training. Taking carnitine along with chromium and zinc can be very helpful for weight loss, and it is good to take CoQ10 with it as well.
Give carnitine a try, and you will experience a rise in energy levels, an increase in fat being converted to energy, add muscle easier, prevent your heart from damage caused by triglycerides and cholesterol, combat oxidants, and experience a sense of increased well-being. Carnitine is one of the most important nutrients in your body, and it will keep you working hard in the gym as well as looking hard on the stage.