The Science Behind The Most Underrated Supplement | L-Carnitine

Summary

This video delves into L-Carnitine, a popular supplement in America, particularly favored by athletes for its performance-enhancing properties. It explains L-Carnitine's role in transporting fatty acids for energy production via beta oxidation and its potential to improve both aerobic and anaerobic respiration. The script discusses evidence suggesting L-Carnitine's benefits for athletic performance, cognitive function, reducing depressive symptoms, and enhancing fertility in men. It also touches on its general health benefits, including liver function and blood pressure regulation.

Takeaways

• 💊 L-Carnitine is the third most popular supplement in America, especially favored by bodybuilders and athletes for its potential to enhance performance.
• 🏋️‍♂️ L-Carnitine is a conditionally essential amino acid that aids in transporting fatty acids into the mitochondria for energy production through beta oxidation.
• 🍽️ Roughly 75% of the body's L-Carnitine comes from dietary intake, emphasizing the importance of a balanced diet for optimal L-Carnitine levels.
• 🚴‍♂️ L-Carnitine supplementation can improve both aerobic and anaerobic respiration, potentially benefiting athletic performance across various types of exercises.
• 💦 The supplement's role in aerobic respiration can reduce the reliance on anaerobic respiration, which in turn lowers the production of lactate and associated muscle fatigue.
• 🧠 L-Carnitine has been shown to have cognitive benefits, including reducing depressive symptoms and potentially improving attention, memory, and mood.
• 👶 L-Carnitine's cognitive benefits extend to both the aging population and younger individuals, such as those with ADHD.
• 💪 While L-Carnitine does not increase testosterone levels, it can improve fertility markers and muscle responsiveness to testosterone, enhancing physical performance.
• 💊 L-Carnitine supplementation may also improve general health markers such as liver function, blood pressure, blood glucose control, and inflammation.
• 🎉 The video features a sponsorship by 'element,' an electrolyte mix designed to maintain hydration and performance during strenuous activities.
• 🔗 The video offers a free sample of 'element' for viewers, available through a link provided in the video description.

Q & A

What is L-Carnitine and why is it popular in America?

L-Carnitine is an amino acid that can be synthesized by the body from lysine and methionine. It is the third most popular supplement in America, especially among bodybuilders and athletes for its supposed ability to increase performance, and also in the alternative health community for its potential to improve health parameters.

Why is L-Carnitine considered a conditionally essential amino acid?

L-Carnitine is considered conditionally essential because, although the body can produce it to some degree, there are certain circumstances under which the body cannot produce enough, and supplementation may be beneficial.

What is the primary role of L-Carnitine in the body?

The primary role of L-Carnitine in the body is to help transport fatty acids from the cell's cytosol across the mitochondrial membranes, where they can be broken down into ATP for energy via beta oxidation.

How does L-Carnitine affect aerobic and anaerobic respiration?

L-Carnitine is primarily involved in aerobic respiration by facilitating the transport of fatty acids into the mitochondria for energy production. Interestingly, it also appears to improve anaerobic respiration and performance, likely by reducing the reliance on anaerobic pathways and the associated production of lactate.

What are the potential benefits of L-Carnitine supplementation for athletic performance?

L-Carnitine supplementation may improve athletic performance by increasing energy output at a cellular level, enhancing endurance, aiding recovery from fatigue, reducing exercise-induced inflammation, decreasing muscle damage, and lowering oxidative stress.

How does L-Carnitine affect cognitive performance?

L-Carnitine may improve cognitive performance by increasing ATP production at a cellular level, allowing neural cells to be more efficient, and by maintaining or increasing levels of certain neurotransmitters like serotonin, GABA, and adrenaline, which are linked to memory, attention, and mood.

What is the relationship between L-Carnitine and depressive symptoms?

Research has shown that L-Carnitine can significantly reduce depressive symptoms, with some studies finding it as effective as antidepressants but with fewer side effects, especially in older adults.

How does L-Carnitine impact fertility in men?

L-Carnitine is well-researched for improving fertility markers in men, although it does not increase testosterone levels. It may maintain testosterone levels under stress and increase the responsiveness of muscle tissue to testosterone.

What are the effects of L-Carnitine on liver function and other health markers?

L-Carnitine appears to improve markers of liver function, blood pressure, blood glucose control, blood lipids, oxidative stress, and inflammation, contributing to overall health and well-being.

How does the body obtain L-Carnitine, and why is dietary intake important?

Approximately 75% of the body's L-Carnitine stores come from dietary intake, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing dietary sources of L-Carnitine to support its functions in the body.

What is the role of element in maintaining hydration and electrolyte balance during strenuous activity?

Element is an electrolyte mix designed to help maintain hydration and electrolyte balance, which is crucial for physical performance, especially during strenuous activities. It contains no sugars or fillers and is praised for its taste.

Outlines

00:00

💊 L-Carnitine: America's Third Most Popular Supplement

The script introduces L-Carnitine as the third most popular supplement in the U.S., highlighting its popularity in bodybuilding and athletics due to its potential to enhance performance. It also mentions its appeal in alternative health circles for health parameter improvements. The video aims to explore L-Carnitine's role, its function in the body, and its importance for health and performance. L-Carnitine is an amino acid synthesized from lysine and methionine, with 75% of its stores coming from diet. It is conditionally essential, meaning supplementation is beneficial under certain circumstances. Its primary role is to transport fatty acids into mitochondria for energy production via beta oxidation, a process that occurs during aerobic respiration and is crucial for low to moderate intensity exercises.

05:05

🏋️‍♂️ L-Carnitine and Athletic Performance Enhancement

This paragraph delves into L-Carnitine's impact on athletic performance, discussing its role in enhancing endurance, recovery, and reducing fatigue. It references a study that suggests L-Carnitine's potential to improve performance in youth and healthy adults, citing increased maximal oxygen uptake and power output, as well as reduced lactate levels post-exercise. The paragraph also touches on L-Carnitine's ability to improve both aerobic and anaerobic respiration, leading to more efficient performance and reduced muscle damage. It concludes with the notion that L-Carnitine can increase muscle carnitine content, which may spare muscle glycogen during low-intensity exercise and improve glycolytic and mitochondrial flux during high-intensity exercise.

10:06

🧠 Cognitive and Mood Benefits of L-Carnitine

The script discusses L-Carnitine's cognitive benefits, including its potential to reduce depressive symptoms, as evidenced by studies showing its effectiveness compared to antidepressants with fewer side effects. It suggests that L-Carnitine is particularly beneficial for older adults dealing with age-related cognitive issues and has shown positive effects on Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline. The mechanisms behind these benefits are attributed to improved ATP production at a cellular level and the ability to increase levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin, GABA, and adrenaline, which are linked to mood and cognitive function.

15:08

💪 L-Carnitine's Multifaceted Health Benefits

The final paragraph outlines additional benefits of L-Carnitine, such as its potential to improve testicular function, fertility markers, and liver function, as well as its positive impact on blood pressure, blood glucose control, blood lipids, oxidative stress, and inflammation. While it does not increase testosterone levels, it can maintain them during stress and increase androgen receptor density on muscle tissue, potentially improving physical performance, recovery, and muscle retention. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing L-Carnitine's role in general health and well-being, aside from its performance-enhancing properties.

📢 Closing Remarks and Sponsor Mention

The script concludes with a call to action for viewers to comment with any questions and a reminder to check the video description for a free sample offer from the sponsor, Element. Element is highlighted as an electrolyte mix that aids in hydration and performance, especially during strenuous activities, and is praised for its taste and lack of sugars or fillers.

Keywords

💡L-Carnitine

L-Carnitine is an amino acid that the body can synthesize from lysine and methionine and also obtain from dietary intake. It plays a crucial role in transporting fatty acids into the mitochondria for energy production via beta oxidation. In the video, L-Carnitine is highlighted as the third most popular supplement in America, particularly for its potential to enhance athletic performance and overall health.

💡Amino Acid

An amino acid is a building block of proteins, and some, like L-Carnitine, have specific functions in the body. Amino acids are the basic units that link together to form proteins, which are essential for various bodily functions. In the context of the video, L-Carnitine is an example of a conditionally essential amino acid, meaning the body can produce it but may require supplementation under certain conditions.

💡Beta Oxidation

Beta oxidation is a metabolic process that breaks down fatty acids to produce Acetyl-CoA, which can then enter the citric acid cycle to generate ATP for energy. The script emphasizes L-Carnitine's role in facilitating beta oxidation by transporting fatty acids into the mitochondria, which is vital for both aerobic respiration during exercise and overall energy metabolism.

💡Aerobic Respiration

Aerobic respiration is a process that occurs in the presence of oxygen, allowing cells to produce energy through the citric acid cycle and electron transport chain. The video explains how L-Carnitine supports aerobic respiration by aiding the metabolism of fatty acids for energy, which is particularly important during low to moderate intensity exercises.

💡Anaerobic Respiration

Anaerobic respiration is an alternative metabolic pathway that cells use when oxygen is scarce, producing energy through glycolysis and the creatine phosphate system. The script mentions that L-Carnitine may also improve anaerobic respiration, which could enhance performance in high-intensity, short-duration activities.

💡Hydrate

To hydrate means to supply the body with sufficient water to maintain proper bodily functions. The video discusses the importance of hydration for athletic performance and how electrolyte intake, sponsored by 'element' in the video, is crucial for maintaining hydration status during strenuous activities.

💡Electrolyte

Electrolytes are minerals that carry an electric charge and are essential for various bodily functions, including maintaining fluid balance and aiding in muscle and nerve function. In the context of the video, electrolytes are highlighted as critical for hydration, especially during intense physical activity.

💡Cognitive Performance

Cognitive performance refers to the efficiency of cognitive processes such as memory, attention, and problem-solving. The script discusses how L-Carnitine may improve cognitive performance by enhancing ATP production in neural cells and modulating neurotransmitter levels, which are linked to mood and cognitive function.

💡Depressive Symptoms

Depressive symptoms are indicators of depression, a mood disorder characterized by persistent sadness, loss of interest, and feelings of worthlessness. The video cites studies showing that L-Carnitine supplementation can reduce depressive symptoms, suggesting a potential role for L-Carnitine in mood regulation.

💡Fertility

Fertility refers to the ability to conceive children or produce offspring. The script highlights L-Carnitine's potential to improve fertility markers, making it a promising supplement for those looking to enhance their reproductive health, particularly in the context of conceiving.

💡Androgen Receptors

Androgen receptors are proteins found in cells that respond to androgens, male sex hormones like testosterone. The video suggests that L-Carnitine may increase the level and density of androgen receptors on muscle tissue, potentially enhancing the muscle's response to testosterone and contributing to improved physical performance.

💡Oxidative Stress

Oxidative stress is a condition where an imbalance occurs between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to counteract their harmful effects through neutralization by antioxidants. The script mentions that L-Carnitine may help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, contributing to overall health and well-being.

Highlights

L-Carnitine is the third most popular supplement in America.

L-Carnitine is popular in bodybuilding for its supposed ability to increase performance.

It is also popular in the alternative health community for improving health parameters.

L-Carnitine is an amino acid synthesized from lysine and methionine.

Approximately 75% of L-Carnitine stores come from dietary intake.

L-Carnitine is conditionally essential due to the body's limited production under certain circumstances.

L-Carnitine's primary role is to transport fatty acids for energy production via beta oxidation.

Beta oxidation is a form of aerobic respiration used for low to moderate intensity exercise.

L-Carnitine may improve anaerobic respiration and the creatine phosphate system.

L-Carnitine supplementation can benefit athletic performance.

Element is a sponsor of the video, offering a well-proportioned electrolyte mix for hydration.

L-Carnitine increases energy output at a cellular level, enhancing endurance and recovery.

Clinical trials show L-Carnitine can improve athletic performance in young adults.

L-Carnitine may increase muscle carnitine content, improving lipid utilization and reducing anaerobic ATP production.

L-Carnitine reduces exercise-induced inflammation, muscle damage, and oxidative stress.

L-Carnitine may decrease fat mass and increase muscle tissue accumulation over time.

L-Carnitine improves cognitive performance and reduces depressive symptoms.

L-Carnitine has been shown to improve fertility markers, making it a go-to option for conception.

L-Carnitine may increase androgen receptor density on muscle tissue, improving responsiveness to testosterone.

L-Carnitine also improves liver function, blood pressure, blood glucose control, and inflammation markers.

Transcripts

so according to a recent National Health and  examination survey L-Carnitine is actually  

the third most popular supplement in America  now L-Carnitine is especially popular in the  

bodybuilding and athletic Community for its uh  supposed ability to increase performance however  

it's also fairly popular in the Alternative Health  Community for its supposed ability to improve  

health parameters as well and so essentially what  I want to do in this video is take a super deep  

dive into L-Carnitine and talk about what it is  what it does in the body and why I believe it to  

be such an important nutrient for overall health  and performance so let's go ahead and dive in  

now L-Carnitine is an amino acid that can be  synthesized by the body from the amino acids  

lysine and methionine however it is estimated  that roughly 75 percent of the body's L-Carnitine  

stores are a result of dietary intake which is  why it's so important to prioritize dietary intake  

now L-Carnitine isn't technically an essential  amino acid because your body is able to produce  

it to some degree however it is considered a  conditionally essential amino acid because of  

the fact that under certain circumstances your  body's not able to produce enough and in these  

circumstances supplementation is especially  warranted and can be especially beneficial  

now the primary role of L-Carnitine in the body is  to help transport fatty acids from the cytosol of  

the cell across the inner and outer mitochondrial  membranes where they can then be broken down into  

ATP for energy via beta oxidation now ketosis  gets a ton of attention these days for being a  

unique metabolic pathway by which fats can be  broken down and utilized for energy however  

triglycerides can also be metabolized to be a  lipolysis to produce fatty acids that can then be  

directly utilized by the mitochondria for energy  production at a cellular level via the process of  

beta oxidation however in order for these fatty  acids to enter the mitochondria they first must  

cross the mitochondrial membrane and this is where  L-Carnitine comes into play L-Carnitine acts as  

a shuttle that carries these fatty acids across  the inner membrane and into the mitochondria so  

that they can then be metabolized and used for  energy now this metabolic pathway is formerly  

known as beta oxidation and is a very specific  type of aerobic respiration which is a form of  

cellular respiration that your body uses pretty  much like throughout the day as well as during  

low to moderate intensity exercise now aerobic  respiration can only happen in the presence of  

oxygen which means that it can only occur when  your respiratory system is able to supply the  

cells of your body with enough oxygen to carry  out the cellular pathway however if you're doing  

some other activity that actually outpaces  your body's ability to provide oxygen to the  

cells that your body actually has to utilize a  different metabolic pathway known as anaerobic  

respiration or the creatine phosphate system  however what's interesting about L-Carnitine  

is that even though it is exclusively utilized  for beta oxidation to improve aerobic respiration  

which is again in the presence of oxygen  it also appears to improve anaerobic and  

creatine phosphate cellular respiration as well  which actually brings us to our first possible  

health benefit of supplementing with L-Carnitine  and that is benefits to athletic performance  

however before we get into the effects of  L-Carnitine on athletic performance I do  

want to give a huge shout out to today's video  sponsor element now one of the most important  

and well-established factors that can improve uh  athletic performance is hydration status however  

it is impossible to stay hydrated without  adequate electrolyte intake and this is what  

element does so well element is a perfectly  proportioned electrolyte mix that makes it  

extremely easy to help meet your electrolyte  needs especially during strenuous activity and  

aside from the science behind element's ability  to help keep you hydrated it also doesn't hurt  

that it tastes freaking amazing and also has zero  sugars or fillers and so if you're anything like  

me and trying to optimize and maintain uh proper  physical performance and mental performance under  

um somewhat extreme conditions I can't more  highly recommend the element and right now  

they're offering my listeners a free sample  pack of an eight serving of element for free  

with any order but this deal is only available  through the link in the description of this video  

so make sure to go down and follow the link down  below or go to drinkelement.com nutrition library  

to snag this offer now because of its primary  physiological role L-Carnitine is thought to  

primarily work by increasing energy output at  a cellular level and in this minute analysis  

in particular the researchers noted that quote L  quarantine plays an essential role in enhancing  

endurance and recovery from fatigue The Beneficial  effects of both acute and chronic L-Carnitine  

supplementation in several pathological conditions  are well documented such as infectious diseases  

homodialysis cancer and dystonia its intake has  beneficial effects on healthy subjects too in the  

elderly it reduces fatigue sensation and improves  physical mental and cognitive function as well as  

reducing fatigue in athletes it facilitates the  recovery process and increases blood flow and  

oxygen supplied to muscle tissue in addition IT  alleviates muscle injury and reduces markers of  

cellular damage decreasing free radical formation  now in this study in particular the researchers  

were slightly more concerned with the effects  of L-Carnitine on specific clinical conditions  

however they did note that L-Carnitine does appear  to be a promising molecule to improve athletic  

performance in youth as well and on this note  there are a handful of clinical trials that do  

show that L-Carnitine can in fact improve athletic  performance in young healthy adults and in one of  

these studies in particular the researchers  concluded that quote the results showed that  

the maximal exercise intensity treatment with  L-Carnitine significantly increased both maximal  

oxygen uptake and power output moreover at similar  exercise intensities in the L-Carnitine trial  

oxygen uptake carbon dioxide production pulmonary  ventilation and plasma lactate were reduced it  

is concluded that under these experimental  conditions pre-treatment with L-Carnitine  

favored aerobic process is resulting in more  efficient performance now it is worth noting  

that in this study in particular the researchers  did specifically note an improvement in Aerobic  

performance which again is low to moderate  intensity exercise and it's typically what we  

would consider cardio however what's interesting  is that if you look at studies such as this one  

the researchers concluded that quote there were  significant increases in bench press lifting  

volume at week six and week 9 with L-Carnitine  supplementation and a similar Trend was absorbed  

with leg press in the L-Carnitine group at week  nine there were significant increases in mean  

power and Peak power reduction in post-exercise  blood lactate levels and beneficial changes to  

Total antioxidant capacity They concluded that  L-Carnitine supplementation enhances exercise  

performance while attenuating blood lactate and  oxidative stress responses to resistance training  

and so not only does L-Carnitine appear to improve  aerobic respiration like cardio which is to be  

expected because of its its primary physiological  role in beta oxidation but it also appears to  

fairly potently improve anaerobic respiration and  performance as well but the big question here is  

why which is what brings us to this study where  the researchers concluded that in summary this  

is the first study to demonstrate that muscle  carnitine content can be increased in humans by  

dietary means and perhaps more importantly that  carnitine plays a dual role in skeletal muscle  

fuel metabolism that is exercise intensity  dependent specifically we have shown that  

increasing muscle carnitine content spares muscle  glycogen during low intensity exercise consistent  

with an increase in muscle lipid utilization but  during high intensity exercise results in a better  

matching of glycolytic PDC and mitochondrial flux  thereby reducing muscle anaerobic ATP production  

and so in layman's terms what appears to be  going on here is that L-Carnitine is so potent  

at improving aerobic respiration at a cellular  level that it's a low lowering the demands being  

placed on the anaerobic system to produce ATP now  the reason this is a good thing is that typically  

anaerobic respiration is considered more of  a dirty cellular respiration because of the  

fact that it produces lactate as a byproduct  now when lactate builds up in muscle tissue  

it increases the acidity of the muscle tissue  and will eventually shut down contractability  

of muscle tissue however this is not an issue  with aerobic respiration and is the reason why  

you can kind of run at a slow pace for a long  time however if you're doing like a Max Sprint  

or a max weight lifting set there becomes a point  where you just can't do anything further and that  

happens very quickly because of the lactate that  is produced via the anaerobic cellular pathway  

and so what it looks like is happening is that  L-Carnitine is improving your body's ability to  

produce ATP via the aerobic respiration cellular  pathway and thereby both increasing aerobic  

performance and anaerobic performance now as  a result of this L-Carnitine also appears to  

secondarily also be able to reduce exercise  induced inflammation decrease exercise induce  

muscle damage lower exercise induced oxidative  stress and a decreased muscle soreness and what's  

really cool about all this is that not only  does all of these effects lead to an increase  

in performance over time but it also appears  to lead to a decrease in fat Mass over time as  

well as an increase in the accumulation of muscle  tissue Over time however not only does L-Carnitine  

appear to improve physical performance but it also  appears to improve cognitive performance as well  

and one of the most remarkable studies that I  came across doing research for this video the  

researchers of this study in particular concluded  that the pulled data across nine randomized  

controlled trials showed that L-Carnitine  significantly reduced depressive symptoms in three  

randomly controlled trials comparing L-Carnitine  versus antidepressants L-Carnitine demonstrated  

similar Effectiveness compared to established  antidepressants in reducing depressive symptoms  

in these lateral randomized controlled trials the  incidence of side effects was significantly lower  

in L-Carnitine than the antidepressant group  subgroup analysis suggested that L-Carnitine  

was most efficacious in older adults L-Carnitine  supplementation significantly decreases depressive  

symptoms compared to Placebo slash no intervention  whilst offering a comparable effect to established  

antidepressant agents with fewer side effects and  as alluded to in this paper L-Carnitine appears  

to be especially beneficial for the population  that is dealing with age-related cognitive issues  

and has been confirmed in a handful of other  trials that have looked into the effects of  

L-Carnitine on Alzheimer's disease as well as  generalized cognitive decline and have also found  

positive effects however the cognitive benefits  of supplementing with L-Carnitine don't appear to  

be just specific to the Aging population there are  also a handful of clinical trials that have shown  

some benefits of L-Carnitine supplementation  in youth dealing with symptoms of ADHD as well  

now the mechanisms of action here appear to  be two primary factors the first one being  

l-carnitine's ability to just in general improve  ATP production at a cellular level and thereby  

allow the neural cells in particular to be more  efficient at producing energy which is going to  

produce improvements in cognitive function and  the second mechanism of action here appears to  

be that L-Carnitine can increase the level of some  specific neurotransmitters in some specific brain  

regions that are responsible for memory attention  and cognition now specifically L carnitine's been  

shown to increase levels of Serotonin Gaba and  adrenaline and load levels of these hormones have  

been linked to cognitive issues and mood issues  and so by L-Carnitine being able to at least  

maintain the level of these neurotransmitters in  key brain regions it does appear to be able to  

improve again both attention memory and mood  now the last possible benefit that I want to  

take a deep dive into in this video aside from  its ability to improve physical performance and  

cognitive performance is its ability to improve  testicular function in men now there is little  

to absolutely no evidence that L-Carnitine can  increase testosterone unfortunately however there  

is some evidence to suggest that it can maintain  testosterone in instances of stress However  

unfortunately even in men that are experiencing  age-related drops in testosterone L-Carnitine  

still doesn't appear to improve testosterone  levels even though it does appear to improve mood  

fatigue and sexual dysfunction associated with  low testosterone now where L-Carnitine appears to  

really shine is that it appears to be extremely  potent at improving fertility markers and as  

it turns out L-Carnitine is actually the most  well-researched and most consistent compound that  

has ever been researched at least it's natural  that has been shown to improve several different  

markers of fertility making it one of the best  go-to options for any guy that's out there that's  

looking to improve fertility for the purposes of  conceiving now aside from L carnitine's ability  

to maintain testosterone levels in the face of  stress as well as improve fertility markers it  

also appears to interestingly enough increase the  level and the density of Androgen receptors on  

muscle tissue and so even though it doesn't  increase testosterone per se it does appear  

to increase the responsiveness to testosterone  which means that this might actually be one of  

the mechanisms by which it actually improves  physical performance as well as recovery and  

muscle retention and fat burning now aside from  its benefits to physical performance cognitive  

performance as well as testicular function it  also appears to be fairly potent at improving  

markers of liver function blood pressure blood  glucose control blood lipids oxidative stress and  

inflammation as well which is why in my opinion  L-Carnitine is not just a fantastic and promising  

option to improve performance but also just gen  General Health and well-being as well but other  

than that guys that's pretty much all I have for  this video if you have any questions feel free  

to leave a comment down below and make sure to  check out the description down below for a link  

to snag your free sample of element but other  than that I think I'll see you guys next time