L-carnitine is taken by competitive athletes and is supposed to help with weight loss. You can find out whether this is really the case in this article.
Table of Contents
- What is L-carnitine?
- Does L-carnitine really help with weight loss?
- L-carnitine during training
- L-carnitine side effects
- Who should supplement L-carnitine?
What is L-carnitine?
L-carnitine is a compound of amino acids that is formed in the human body. It is mainly found in muscle tissue, the heart, and the brain and helps the body convert fatty acids into energy.
In this way, the active ingredient is supposed to stimulate metabolism and melt away fat deposits. The substance is also popular with athletes, as carnitine is said to increase physical performance and spare the body's own glycogen reserves due to its fat-burning effect.
Carnitine is mainly found in animal products such as beef and other foods. However, carnitine can also be taken as a dietary supplement. This is usually available in the form of capsules or as a soluble powder.
Does L-carnitine really help with weight loss?
So what's the truth about the myth of losing weight with L-carnitine? Is it really possible to get a firm and well-trained body simply by taking the active ingredient, as is often promised in advertising?
Our muscles can absorb up to 25 milligrams of carnitine. This is more than the amount of carnitine that our body produces itself. Taking a small additional amount of carnitine therefore ensures maximally filled L-carnitine stores.
However, there is still no scientific evidence to date that L-carnitine really helps with weight loss. Studies have shown, however, that L-carnitine is actively involved in fat metabolism. It helps in the transport of activated long-chain fatty acids.
But L-carnitine is not only involved in your fat metabolism. The amino acid is also found in various organs such as the liver, kidneys, heart, and skeletal muscles.
L-carnitine during training
L-carnitine is used by athletes for legal performance enhancement. However, it has not been precisely proven whether this effect is really due to L-carnitine.
The idea is as follows: Due to the already explained influence of L-carnitine on fat metabolism, fats should be more readily available to the body as an energy source. This leads to a saving of energy from other energy stores (glycogen stores).
This should lead to extended performance in endurance sports. In studies, the effect has not yet been clearly clarified. While L-carnitine actually led to an increase in performance in some studies, athletes in other studies had no advantage from taking it.
L-carnitine side effects
It is proven that too high an amount of the substance reverses the positive effects of L-carnitine and leads to a deterioration in performance. The same applies to taking the active ingredient for weight loss.
Since the body can absorb a maximum of 25 milligrams of carnitine via the muscles, the excess is excreted in the urine. If L-carnitine is overdosed, gastrointestinal complaints and sleep problems can occur. A permanently excessive intake of the amino acid is also said to increase the breeding ground for harmful bacteria in the gut.
Who should supplement L-carnitine?
Healthy people already produce a sufficient amount of L-carnitine through natural metabolism. Only chronically ill people, as well as vegetarians and vegans, have a higher risk of developing a carnitine deficiency. Over a longer period of time, this can negatively affect the processes and organs in which L-carnitine is involved.
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Conclusion
So, is carnitine the miracle weapon for shedding pounds? Scientifically, there is not much to support this. As with other weight loss products, you will not lose weight by taking just one substance. To lose weight, a calorie deficit is crucial.
You achieve this by eating consciously and exercising enough, or even better, by training regularly. You can take L-carnitine as a dietary supplement. However, make sure that the motto "more is more" does not apply to this amino acid.
Your body produces about 16 milligrams of carnitine daily. Therefore, small doses of about 3 to 5 milligrams as a dietary supplement are sufficient.
All our articles are written by nutritionists and checked for factual quality by experts.
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