Running Start - L-Carnitine and Performance

//Stim or Placebo//

It’s been a while since my last science and sports-based piece and a friend of mine brought the substance, L-Carnitine to my attention. This is an ammonium compound and L-carnitine is a specific stereoisomer that has been in the fitness industry for a considerable amount of time. You can pick it up in liquid tablets over the counter and is suggested as a supplement to keep daily intake in check, an increase in energy may be expected but some feel this is a placebo. Not much else is said about the substance other than it can improve performance and it’s role in releasing energy in fat, a very useful mechanic in theory.

//Double Impact//

Running is an interest of mine, I wanted to take a look at just what L-carnitine can do for a distance runner. A limited study from 2018 conducted a systematic review that aimed to explore the role of the compound in numerous ways. Adequate supplementation was intended to cause an increase in caloric expenditure in the body to improve weight loss. Spending more calories for the same effort or work done is an interesting notion that could also mean that busy people can do less and produce similar results. It also doubles up into enhanced recovery of muscles, suffering from DOMS? Perhaps the amino compound would be a game changer. Spending fat stores, also known as being fat adapted is a great feeling and keeps runners feeling energetic throughout their run. L-carnitine helps with this process and it’s almost like the stim pack to achieving fat adaptation. The study was limited and there are other bits of research that point to no results or simple placebo.

//Beneficial and Maybe Exploitable//

If the body is able to achieve better fat adaption via supported muscle mitochondria, energy output is amplified and allows us to get more out of the existing energy reserves. The trick here is the increase of red blood cells meaning the body is able to carry more oxygen and spend it as discussed. It’s interesting to know that almost half of the US has a form of cardiovascular disease, losing weight and keeping a healthy heart is an issue. Administering a controlled dosage of L-carnitine could help significantly with weight loss and improvement of the cardiovascular system. That’s one way to put it, on the other hand it could (probably has) let high performance athletes reach greater heights, a benefit that might even be exploitable. I’ll be digging a little more into the world of elite endurance and L-carnitine very soon, the substance has definitely grabbed my attention. With the running world shrouded in much uncertainty, it’s a great time to dash into the science of endurance running in the coming days!

Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnitine
http://www.longrunliving.com/fat-adapted-running/
http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.sports.20180805.04.html#Sec8