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Effects of oral L-carnitine supplementation on in vivo long-chain fatty acid oxidation in healthy adults

2002; Elsevier BV; Volume: 51; Issue: 11 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1053/meta.2002.35181

1532-8600

Dirk MÃ ⁄ ller, H Seim, Wieland Kieß, H. Louml ster, Thomas Richter,

Renal function and acid-base balance

Despite an abundance of literature describing the basic mechanisms of action of L-carnitine metabolism, there remains some uncertainty regarding the effects of oral L-carnitine supplementation on in vivo fatty acid oxidation in normal subjects under normal conditions. It is well known that L-carnitine normalizes the metabolism of long-chain fatty acids in cases of carnitine deficiency. However, it has not yet been shown that L-carnitine influences the metabolism of long-chain fatty acids in subjects without disturbances in fatty acid metabolism. Therefore, we investigated the effects of oral L-carnitine supplementation on in vivo long-chain fatty acid oxidation by measuring 1-[13C] palmitic acid oxidation in healthy subjects before and after L-carnitine supplementation (3 [times ] 1 g/d for 10 days). We observed a significant increase in 13CO2 exhalation. This is the first investigation to conclusively demonstrate that oral L-carnitine supplementation results in an increase in long-chain fatty acid oxidation in vivo in subjects without L-carnitine deficiency or without prolonged fatty acid metabolism.