Does Carnitine Burn Fat?
Contrary to popular belief, carnitine (sometimes referred to as l-carnitine) is not an amino acid but a quaternary amine, which the body manufactures out of two amino acids — lysine and methionine. Carnitine is found naturally in such food sources as red meat, fish and dairy products. Carnitine plays many important roles in the body, but the most important one from a fat burning perspective is Carnitine’s role in escorting fatty acids to the cell’s mitochondria (think of the mitochondria as the cell’s furnace) where they can be burned as fuel. Because Carnitine plays such a role, many have postulated that supplementing with Carnitine should aid in weight loss. However, studies to date have been largely contradictory, and there does not seem to be any real evidence showing that supplementing with carnitine will lead to dramatic weight loss. One study (Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2000 Jun;10(2):199-207) performed on 36 moderately overweight premenopausal women concluded…
