L-Carnitine and Energy (and Fat Loss to Boot!)
When I wrote Natural Cures I talked about the heart healthy combination of Carnitine and CoQ10 and in my book on natural ways to boost energy (coming in January) I talked about the same pairing, calling L-Carnitine and COQ10 an "energy cocktail" (OK forgive me for being a little less than rigorously scientific here, but "energy cocktail" is a good shorthand).
Now a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that L-Carnitine does indeed reduce both physical and mental fatigue and increase cognitive function, at least in older people.
The researchers actually tested centurians aged 100-106 (!) who reported fatigue after even the slightest exertion (OK, let's give them a break, they're over 100!). The researchers gave half the group 2,000 mg of L-Carnitine and half the group a placebo.
After 6 months the Carnitine group experienced a reduction in physical fatigue, a reduction in mental fatigue, a reduction in fatigue severity and better cognitive function scores. Not only that, get this, they also experienced a significant reduction in fat mass and gains in total muscle mass. And their walking capacity improved as well.
Even though there isn't a ton of research on Carnitine and weight loss, many clinicians routinely use it for this purpose. Nice to know that fat loss (and muscle gain) was a "side effect" of this study on cognitive function and fatigue! (Not a bad side effect, if you ask me.)
Now granted, most of the readers of this newsletter are younger than 100. So we have to do a little extrapolation from the research and play "connect the dots".
But if this highly fatigued population benefited significantly in so many ways (more energy, less fat, better cognition) from 2,000 mg of Carnitine a day, it stands to reason that it might be helpful, don't you think?
The study- "L-Carnitine treatment reduces severity of physical and mental fatigue and increases cognitive functions in centurians: a randomized and controlled clinical trial"-- appeared in the Am J of Clinical Nutrition 2007 Dec; 86(6): 1738-44. You can get carnitine in the powder form (easy to take) or in combination with CoQ10.
Now a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that L-Carnitine does indeed reduce both physical and mental fatigue and increase cognitive function, at least in older people.
The researchers actually tested centurians aged 100-106 (!) who reported fatigue after even the slightest exertion (OK, let's give them a break, they're over 100!). The researchers gave half the group 2,000 mg of L-Carnitine and half the group a placebo.
After 6 months the Carnitine group experienced a reduction in physical fatigue, a reduction in mental fatigue, a reduction in fatigue severity and better cognitive function scores. Not only that, get this, they also experienced a significant reduction in fat mass and gains in total muscle mass. And their walking capacity improved as well.
Even though there isn't a ton of research on Carnitine and weight loss, many clinicians routinely use it for this purpose. Nice to know that fat loss (and muscle gain) was a "side effect" of this study on cognitive function and fatigue! (Not a bad side effect, if you ask me.)
Now granted, most of the readers of this newsletter are younger than 100. So we have to do a little extrapolation from the research and play "connect the dots".
But if this highly fatigued population benefited significantly in so many ways (more energy, less fat, better cognition) from 2,000 mg of Carnitine a day, it stands to reason that it might be helpful, don't you think?
The study- "L-Carnitine treatment reduces severity of physical and mental fatigue and increases cognitive functions in centurians: a randomized and controlled clinical trial"-- appeared in the Am J of Clinical Nutrition 2007 Dec; 86(6): 1738-44. You can get carnitine in the powder form (easy to take) or in combination with CoQ10.
Jonny Bowden, PhD, C.N.S. is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and health and is the author of several best-selling books.
JB,
I know this is off topic for this blog post, but I was curious as to your opinion of the validity of
"eating for your blood type"??
I know from what I've read, including your works, that we need to eat foods based on our evolution as a species. It makes perfect sense. But breaking it down further into blood type I wonder if this has a real basis in science?
It's like saying someone from Asia should only eat an Asian diet, or medeteranian for anyone from Italy, Greece or Turkey?
Would love your perspective on this.
T
Dr. Bowden, I have all your books and read them repeatly. And I can't wait to get the other two coming out. A couple of suggestions: 1) if you can have a website that allow your readers ask questions (sort of like Dr Weil's website), that would be great. And I don't mind to pay for it like a monthly subcription. 2) In your 150 Healhies Food, I enjoyed the page Expert's top 10 the most. If you could compile a book by interview all the leading expers or people of interests like the famous ones ... that would make a great seller and more importantly a good book to read, and to update annually! Thanks Ula Hartner or ula@bloomberg.net
ULA- that is a GREAT suggestion, and to tell you the truth, we've been thinking about doing a membership site or a membership section (with a very low, affordable monthly fee) and maybe we'll move that to the front burner. As far as interviews, I'm going to keep doing those especially on radio and podcasts, and i will probably post those on the membership site as well. Thanks so very much for the suggestion and the kind words
warmly
jb
Todd-
The blood type thing is controversial. I think the popular book by D'Adamo is a way oversimplification, but it's actually an oversimplification of HIS work as well- people i know who follow that go to his seminars where he talks about all kinds of subtypes and interactions and it's a way more sophisticated system than 4 types, 4 diets, though that's certainly the commercial version.
Personally I think blood type- even one of the 13 subtypes- is a little thin to base an entire diet on, but it DOES seem to be of some use as one piece of clinical data, especially for people who are having trouble identifying what's not working. It does NOT (like any variable, no matter how sophisticated) apply 100 percent of the time, but in very skillful hands the blood type could be a useful piece of clinical data
warmly
jb
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