Carnitine is a non-essential nutrient present in the diet that contributes to the transport of long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondria for subsequent oxidation and obtaining energy. L-Carnitine is used as a dietary supplement for athletes to obtain nutritional ergogenic help (substances that are ingested to improve the ability to perform certain physical work or athletic performance). In the article "Supplementation with L-carnitine for athletes" and we delve into the role of carnitine in the body, we discuss some of its effects and its recommended dose. However, this article aims to investigate to what extent marketing can "manipulate" the scientific evidence when it comes to advertising and selling a product. How do they sell us L-Carnitine? In the first place, we are going to expose the effects attributed to L-Carnitine in those web pages (quite numerous, by the way) that are dedicated to the commercialization of this and other similar products. Many websites (Proe Nutrition, My Protein, Fitnasium, EBM, Healthy Food, etc.) advertise and market L-Carnitine, giving it properties such as the following: Increase in strength due to increase in muscle mass. Increase in resistance Increase in power Anti-aging and nourishing properties. It contributes to the loss of weight and body fat. It can help improve mental performance. Suppress the appetite. Reduces fatigue Increases the body's aerobic capacity to help burn more calories. Slow down the process of bone loss. Taking L-Carnitine after a heart attack decreases the chances of suffering a subsequent one. Improvement of male infertility. It helps improve both the sperm count and the quality of the sperm. Taken in combination with the period of breastfeeding helps new mothers lose more quickly the weight gained during pregnancy. It helps diabetics by increasing oxidation, storage and glucose uptake. It acts as an antioxidant, preventing the damage caused in healthy cells by free radicals. It protects the brain from brain damage related to age and stress, which helps this organ function more and better.
The real effects of L-Carnitine
Simultaneously, a bibliographic search has been carried
out in scientific articles published in journals with high rigor in their
publications. Thus, the results obtained about supplementation with L-Carnitine are the following:
There is no evidence that supplementation with L-Carnitine produces any effect on
heart rate.
In activities of medium / low intensity (50% VOmax) it has
been observed that long-term supplementation with L-Carnitine reduces the use of muscle glycogen, which means a
better and faster recovery after exercise.
L-Carnitine administered in isolation does not produce significant
effects compared to its joint administration with carbohydrates, since if it is
administered in an isolated manner, it tends to be excreted via the urine.
There is no compelling scientific evidence (there is much
controversy) that supplementation with L-Carnitine
increases the oxidation of fatty acids. Therefore, there is not enough evidence
to help weight loss either.
With supplementation, blood lipid levels (HDL, LDL,
cholesterol) are not affected.
Supplementation with L-Carnitine
at low doses may produce increased strength.
Likewise, at low doses, a decrease in lactate production
is also achieved, delaying the onset of muscle fatigue.
After both searches, we can verify that if we administer carnitine orally the only remarkable
and scientifically corroborated effect that we find is that the strength
profile increases, which decreases lactate accumulation and reduces the use of
glycogen reserves, resulting in a decrease in fatigue. However, the rest of the
effects that have been announced on the web pages are not real and lack scientific
rigor.
Thus, we can conclude that the Internet is a very useful
tool but that you have to know how to manage. At our disposal are many websites
that are dedicated to selling ergogenic aids, give dietary advice from
inexperienced or non-professional people, etc. These pages seek to sell you a
supplement without indicating its possible side effects and highlighting its
"prodigious" properties, not always scientifically contrasted. It has
also been found in the web search that, in many of the substances sold on the
Internet, there is not even a description of their composition and, even if it
existed, we would not know with absolute certainty if there were any omissions
of components. If so, one of the components omitted could put your health at
risk or be on the list of doping substances of the WADA (World Anti-Doping
Agency). Be that as it may, the acquisition of these substances via the
Internet is never safe for all the issues mentioned above.
