L-Carnitine to lose weight
L-carnitine has become very popular in recent years as a “fat burner” and generally as the substance of choice when it comes to substances that are supposed to support a diet successfully. Studies have found, however, that taking L-carnitine without a proven deficiency of the substance in the body, as well as without regular exercise in the low load range, has no influence on the regulation of fat metabolism. Due to the daily diet and the body’s ability to produce the required L-carnitine from the amino acids methionine and lysine itself, a large external intake of L-carnitine does not cause a reduction in body fat, according to the results of the available studies.
Without the body being able to use the energy produced by the “burning” of fatty acids, for example through regular endurance sports, no increased fat metabolism can be expected. Even in athletes who have a high energy requirement, a lack of L-carnitine is not likely as long as a varied mixed diet is followed. A lack of L-carnitine is only possible during long-term physical exertion, during which a large mobilization of the fat stores in the body takes place, and thus a meaningful indication for taking a dietary supplement containing L-carnitine is given.
At the moment there is no scientific proof that the fatty acid metabolism would be impaired if there were sufficient concentrations of L-carnitine in the body. Sports activities mobilize the body’s fat stores and stimulate the metabolism. Without a stimulation of the metabolism, an excess of L-carnitine does not help the body to reduce the fat stores, but the excess L-carnitine is removed from the body again within a few hours via the urine.
Nevertheless, L-carnitine is an important factor in successful fat burning, and a possible deficiency should therefore be investigated while maintaining the same weight despite diet and lifestyle changes. However, the often promised effect of increasing the basal metabolic rate and improving performance during sporting activities cannot be confirmed from a scientific perspective at the moment. The mass intake of dietary supplements with the active ingredient L-carnitine cannot be justified in view of the previous studies, which is why a general intake of dietary supplements cannot be recommended from a medical point of view.
