L-Carnitine

Acetyl-L-carnitine crosses the blood-brain barrier and supports cognitive function and brain energy metabolism. L-carnitine reduces post-exercise muscle damage and speeds recovery. Carnitine acts as an antioxidant, reducing oxidative damage to muscles. Carnitine delays the onset of fatigue during physical activity. Carnitine increases endurance during exercise. Carnitine supplementation alone produces only a partial response; Zone 2 exercise is also required to provide the physiological stimulus that drives the fat-burning pathway to upregulate. The primary intervention for carnitine shuttle impairment is carnitine supplementation at 1,000 mg taken two to three times per day. Carnitine is a carrier molecule responsible for transporting fatty acids into the mitochondria for beta-oxidation. Carnitine is the sole carrier for transporting long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondria; no alternative carrier exists. Without adequate carnitine, fatty acids cannot enter the mitochondria to be burned. Carnitine transports fatty acids across the mitochondrial membrane into the matrix for beta-oxidation. L-carnitine is the transport molecule that shuttles long-chain fatty acids across the in…