Carnitine

An Amino Acid

Description:

Carnitine, a nonessential amino acid made by the body from lysine, is an amine and also an alcohol, trimethylated carboxy-alcohol. It is more concentrated in the heart than any other organ.

Plants/Foods:

• Dairy products
• Meat, especially red meat
• Poultry

Physiologic Functions:

• 1-3 gm. daily oxidizes triglycerides
• Appears to build up acetylcholine and dopamine
• Helps remove ketones from the blood
• Hepatoprotective against depakote (a drug used for seizures, anger, impulse and manic depressive disorders)
• Impacts circadian rhythm of cortisol
• Involved in prostaglandin metabolism in smooth muscles
• Provides energy for sperm motility
• Provides energy to muscles, including the heart
• Regulates fat metabolism
• Transfers fatty acids across the mitochondrial membranes, oxidizing fat for energy
• Vasodilator (in animal studies)

Clinical Indications:

• AIDS
• Alzheimer's disease
• Atherosclerosis
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Congestive heart failure
• Depression
• Diabetis mellitus
• Fertility/Infertility
• Hypertension (some forms)
• Hypothyroidism
• Impotence
• Obesity
• Short term memory loss
• Angina
• Dialyzed kidney patient
• Down's syndrome
• Fatigue
• Fatty degeneration caused by alcoholism
• Hyperlipoproteinemia - type 4
• Intermittent claudication
• Ischemic heart disease
• Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy
• Male infertility due to low motility of sper
• MI prevention
• Muscular dystrophy
• Myocardial insufficiencies
• Myotonic dystrophy
• Poor hand and foot circulationm
• Poor immune function
• Renal Fanconi's syndrome
• Sciatic nerve regeneration (in rats)

Signs and Symptoms of Deficiency:

• Acidic blood
• Brain degeneration, similar to Reye's syndrome
• High triglycerides
• Muscle weakness
• Progressive muscle weakness

Causes of Deficiencies:

• Cirrhosis
• Genetic abnormalities
• Infants on carnitine-deficient formula
• Kidney patients undergoing dialysis
• Patients on liquid or TPN diets
• Pregnant women
• Premature infants on total parenteral nutrition
• Several neuromuscular disorders, including Duchenne-type muscular dystrophy
• Starvation, especially kwashiorkor

Contraindications:

• Kidney damage

Toxicity and Side Effects:

• Large doses may produce body odor
• Large doses may produce gastrointestinal discomfort
• Only L-carnitine form should be taken, not D-carnitine or the D-L-carnitine form

Copyright 1998 - 2008 by L. Vicky Crouse, ND and James S. Reiley, ND. All rights reserved (ISSN 1527-0661).