L-carnitine is formed in the body from the amino acids lysine and methionine. By including L-carnitine in your arsenal, it will be much easier to achieve the goals that you set for yourself in the gym.
So, let’s look at what L-carnitine can give us:
1. Weight loss
If you want to lose weight, L-carnitine is an indispensable tool for you! L-carnitine transports long-chain fatty acids and triglycerides to the mitochondria, where they are used for energy. Carnitine also helps suppress hunger and fights muscle wasting.
For these reasons, L-carnitine must be used during the diet. It will inhibit the accumulation of fat and also help increase aerobic endurance. Thus, you will be able to “burn” more calories.
2. Increase in muscle mass
L-carnitine is also an excellent tool for maintaining muscle during pre-competition training. In addition, it can help increase strength and energy so you can use heavier weights and be less tired during a hard and exhausting workout.
3. Preservation of bone mass
As we age, bone loss becomes a serious problem for many people, especially women. Of course, a decrease in bone density can lead to osteoporosis and fractures, degenerative diseases of bone tissue. Fortunately, this process can be slowed down by taking L-carnitine, which reduces bone loss and strengthens bone structure.
4. Improved heart condition
Carnitine is extremely beneficial for the heart and blood vessels. Several clinical trials have proven that L-carnitine can be used in addition to the standard treatment for angina, thereby reducing the need for medication. L-carnitine effectively reduces the frequency of pain attacks in such people. Several other studies have found that L-carnitine clearly reduces the risk of another heart attack.
5. Healthy kidneys
The kidney is an organ in which carnitine is synthesized endogenously. With some defects, they stop synthesizing it. That is why people with one or another pathology of the kidneys, taking L-carnitine, compensate for its deficiency in the body.
6. Treatment of male infertility
Carnitine will be of interest to those men who suffer from infertility resulting from poor sperm quality. With the constant intake of carnitine, it not only increases the number of spermatozoa, but also improves their quality and mobility.
7. Benefits for breastfeeding mothers
New mothers who are breastfeeding a child experience a significant deficit in calories and nutritional ingredients. When feeding, the level of levocarnitine in the body also falls. Even if you are eating well while breastfeeding, taking extra L-carnitine will help protect you from the chances of developing a deficiency. Taking carnitine while breastfeeding has been proven to help burn fat accumulated during pregnancy.
8. Help in the treatment of diabetes
People with type 2 diabetes can directly benefit from L-carnitine, as it helps increase glucose oxidation, thus helping insulin do its job.
9. Immunity Boost
L-carnitine works as an antioxidant, protecting your cells from free radical damage. It stimulates the immune system, helps you not get sick.
10. Improving brain function
For “aged” people, levocarnitine can do much more than the same “gingko biloba” or other similar drugs. Carnitine protects brain cells from destruction as a result of trauma, stress and age-related causes. Thus, it helps to live a longer and more fulfilling life.
11. Antidote for valproic acid poisoning
Although this issue is distantly related to bodybuilding, there have been thousands of cases of poisoning with valproic acid drugs per year recently. L-carnitine can be used as an antidote.
Note: Valproic acid is one of the most widely used drugs for the treatment of epilepsy and is the drug of first choice for all forms of epilepsy, especially generalized ones.
How and when to take L-carnitine?
It is believed that adding 2-4 g per day to the diet should be enough to improve health and achieve the first modest sports goals. But, an effective dose of levocarnitine is 8 g per day. It is available in both tablets and capsules, and even in liquid form. Some foods are also high in L-carnitine, such as red meat and dairy products. Recommended and nuts, seeds, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli – they also have a lot of levocarnitine.