L-Carnitine: The Fat Burning Miracle

L-Carnitine is vital to our daily performance. We need it to convert stored body fat into useable energy to sustain our activities.

Fat is actually our bodies’ innovation to store surplus energy. This serves as an evolutionary defense for times of hardship, but under less grim conditions, fat accumulation can become an unwanted burden.

What exactly does L- Carnitine do?

Let’s imagine this:
Our body is a train. Mitochondria, (our cell’s energy powerhouse) is a furnace, and our stored fat is the charcoal. A train requires the energy produced by burning charcoal in a furnace to build up movement.

L-Carnitine is the worker that transports the charcoal (fat) into the furnace (mitochondria) for energy production. Without the worker’s help, charcoal (fat) can accumulate unwieldy bulk, bogging down the train’s performance and delivering less of the potential energy to the furnace (mitochondria) to burn it off for more energy.

This creates a vicious cycle of fatigue, and means that in real life scenarios our fat burning capacity will be disrupted, causing body fat to accumulate at bulge-prone areas such as waist, hips and tummy, leading to frequent tiredness, chest pains, muscle weakness and pain, elevated cholesterol, etc.

The Many Benefits of L-Carnitine

Strengthens Your Heart & Keeps Cholesterol At Bay
The heart is highly dependent on L-Carnitine because it derives 70% of its energy from fat breakdown. Since L-Carnitine is required to transport fat into the mitochondria for transformation into energy, without sufficient L-Carnitine, the heart muscles will become weak and drained of energy. By accelerating fat burning for energy, L-Carnitine also prevents the build up of fat in this vital organ.

Apart from improving oxygenation of the heart muscles, L-Carnitine has antioxidant properties that protect the heart muscles and increases its strength. L-Carnitine also promotes cardiovascular health by lowering unhealthy LDL “bad” cholesterol and triglycerides, while increasing HDL “good” cholesterol levels.

One of L-Carnitine’s most interesting benefits the protection of the heart muscles against drug toxicity and evidence that it can extend the survival rate of patients with heart problems. Numerous studies have shown that it helps speed recovery after a heart attack, and lowers the occurrence of angina (chest pain), arrhythmia (irregular heartbeats), and congestive heart failure. Studies also suggest that people who take L-Carnitine soon after a heart attack are less likely to suffer a subsequent heart attack. In fact, the FDA has approved the use of L-Carnitine for treatment of heart disease and low energy levels.

Unleashes Your Fat Burning Potential for Accelerated Weight Loss
If the body is not burning fat efficiently, excess fat will be stored away in the body, causing your waist and hips to expand. In order for fat to be burned, they must first be transported into the mitochondria where they are broken down and transformed into available energy.

L-Carnitine transports fat into the mitochondria, fires up your body’s “fat burning furnace” to burn fat and increase metabolism for weight loss. In short, L-Carnitine unlocks the energy stored in your fat, allowing you to trim those unsightly bulges while keeping your energy levels high.

L-Carnitine optimizes your fat burning process, by improving cellular metabolism, which protects cell membranes against the accumulation of metabolic toxins.

L-Carnitine also helps to prevent fatigue and exhaustion

L-Carnitine literally turns fat into energy: Fat + Oxygen + L-Carnitine = Energy

L-Carnitine is great for dieters, because it reduces feelings of hunger and weakness.

Keeps You Young & Energetic
Decline in Mitochondrial function and free radical damage are two main causes of ageing. L-Carnitine is a potent anti-ageing agent that functions as an antioxidant by gathering free radicals and using them for the creation of cellular energy.

It carries fatty acids into the mitochondria, the 'furnace of the cell'. Within the 'furnace', the fatty acids are broken down or burned and energy is produced. Without sufficient L-Carnitine to transport fatty acids, your body will start to feel drained and sluggish. L-Carnitine is also important for detoxification – it removes lactic acid, ammonia and other toxic metabolic by-products, combining with available acyl units that would otherwise disturb the fat burning process and energy production.

In the attempt to cut back on cholesterol intake, many people, especially the elderly, reduce their meat consumption and unknowingly reduce their intake of L-Carnitine. Coupled with a decline in L-Carnitine production in the body as one ages, this “deficiency” expresses itself as lowered energy levels, increased body fat and increased blood lipids – typical afflictions of an ageing body. L-Carnitine can be considered a longevity agent as it helps seniors stay fit and healthy, both in body and mind.

Other benefits of L-Carnitine:

1. Increases sperm count, quality and mobility to improve male fertility.
2. Reduces the build up of fat in the liver caused by alcohol consumption and poor diet.

Group Of People That Will Benefit From L-Carnitine

• Vegetarian or vegan
• Athletes
• Those who want to lose weight
• Those who want more energy
• Those who want to promote heart health
• Men who want to increase their fertility
• Smokers and drinkers
  
  

Different dosage of L-Carnitine helps to alleviate different health conditions. Here’s a rough guideline for common uses. Suggested dosage is based on studies conducted on these conditions:

• To promote weight loss and improve endurance: 1000 –2000mg in divided doses
• To alleviate cardiovascular problems: 600-1200mg, 3 times daily or 750mg, twice daily
• To counter alcohol related L-Carnitine deficiency: 300mg 3 times daily
• To help reverse male fertility: 300 to 1000mg 3 times daily
• To treat frequent tiredness: 500-1000mg, 3 or 4 times daily