Taking carnitine with omega-3 fish oil is one of the simplest things you can do to lose weight and raise your energy levels. The cool thing about carnitine is that by elevating the amount of carnitine stored in your muscles, you will see improvements in your quality of life. Fat loss and more energy are two of these benefits, but taking carnitine is known to improve all of the following:

• High-intensity work capacity

• Increase athletic performance

• Speed your recovery from intense exercise

• Make your brain work better

• Prevent oxidative stress that leads to longer term health problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and chronic inflammation

A recent study in The Journal of Physiology provides groundbreaking evidence that carnitine supplementation can improve athletic performance, something that researchers have had trouble proving for years. Emerging research on the benefits of carnitine for health in conjunction with evidence that clarifies the best ways to take carnitine (insulin must be present in the body for carnitine to be delivered into the muscle), make it time to revisit this amino acid. Let’s look at the top ten health benefits of elevating your carnitine levels with a focus on achieving optimal body composition.

1) Take Carnitine to Burn Fat: The Basics

Carnitine is an amino acid composite that is made from lysine and methionine. There are a couple of different forms of carnitine, such as acetyl-L-carnitine and L-carnitine tartrate, and we’ll look at which forms you should be taking and when. In this article, unless otherwise stated, “carnitine” will be used to refer to L-carnitine tartrate.

Carnitine is a potent fat burner because it is responsible for the transport of fats into the cells to be used for energy in the body. By raising the level of muscle carnitine, you support the fat burning process, and because your body becomes more efficient at processing fuel, it will increase your energy levels. Elevating carnitine will also improve physical performance by burning more fat, sparing glycogen, clearing muscle lactate, and increasing anabolic hormone response.

2) Pair Carnitine and Omega-3 Fish Oils For Fat Loss

For carnitine to be effective, you need to ensure you have adequate levels of omega-3 fish oils in the body. In order for your body to actually “load” carnitine that you take in supplement form into the muscles where you want it, it has to be accompanied by insulin.

Omega-3 fatty acids come into the equation because they will improve the health of every cell in your body if you get enough of them. The cells are made up of two layers of lipids or fats, which will be composed of good fats or bad fats depending on the type you eat. If the cell lipid layers are made up of omega-3s, the cell will be generally healthier, and it will also make them more sensitive to insulin. Having your cells be more sensitive to insulin allows your body to get the most energy production out of supplemental carnitine.

I mention this relationship between omega-3s and carnitine because you won’t optimally benefit from taking carnitine unless you have already attended to your omega-3s. In working with obese clients, I’ve found that using high doses of fish oil with carnitine tartrate will allow the fat to start to come off.

Omega-3s increase metabolic rate by increasing cell activity and fat burning. Carnitine is the delivery system for long chain fatty acids such that the less carnitine you have in the body, the fewer fatty acids that get into the cell, meaning you don’t burn them for energy. Instead, the fatty acids go into a depository and are stored as fat. By elevating carnitine, fat burning increases and you give the cell the right genetic machinery to raise metabolism. You’ll have more energy, feel more motivated, and any excess fat begins to come off.

3) No Need For Carbs: Carnitine with Omega-3s for Fat Loss

The new study in The Journal of Physiology, which we will highlight below starting with #5, showed that taking carnitine with carbs is effective for elevating muscle carnitine levels and improving athletic performance. But carbs aren’t necessary as long as you get adequate omega-3s. A study in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism showed that combining carnitine, omega-3s, and polyphenols resulted in lower blood lipid levels and better cellular energy production, which has the implication of fat loss if the study had been of longer duration—it was only 12 weeks.

Researchers found that triglycerides were lowered by 24 percent and free fatty acids decreased by 29 percent compared to a placebo group that had no changes. These changes indicate healthier markers of cholesterol, better energy use, and fat burning that will lead to fat loss. Additionally, genes that increase fat burning in the body were “activated” indicating a better metabolic profile. Take note that the polyphenols were included to raise antioxidant levels and fight oxidative stress that leads to chronic inflammation and poor cardiovascular health, among other things. They are not necessary for the carnitine to work its magic.

4) Carnitine Fights Visceral Belly Fat

Visceral belly fat is one of the toughest fats to lose once you’ve got it, and it causes numerous health problems. Once you begin to gain visceral fat around the belly, it will lead to fat gain within the organs such as the liver, the heart, or even in muscle. Fat gain in the liver leads to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, while epicardial fat is a type of visceral fat that is deposited around the heart and is considered a metabolically active organ, altering heart function.

Raising your carnitine levels will fight this visceral fat gain because it increases fat burning, which has the effect of taking triglycerides and low-density lipoproteins out of the system so that they don’t build up causing high cholesterol and atherosclerosis. A new research study in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology illustrates this. Researchers gave a carnitine supplement to mice who were fed a high-fat diet in order to make them gain weight. In comparison to a group of mice fed a placebo, the carnitine group gained substantially less visceral and subcutaneous fat (fat that is right below the surface of the skin that you can pinch with your fingers). The placebo group exhibited the beginning stages of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis, neither of which were evident in the carnitine group.

5) Take Carnitine To Improve Performance

The study in The Journal of Physiology is the first to show that muscle carnitine content can be increased in humans through diet . Once carnitine is elevated, metabolism in the body is dependent on the intensity of exercise, allowing for better energy use and performance.

Researchers gave a placebo or a supplement of carnitine tartrate and carbs (2 g carnitine with 80 g of carbs twice a day) to experienced athletes who were training for a triathlon three to five times a week. At various points throughout the study subjects performed the following exercise tests: two thirty-minute repeated bouts of exercise (the first at 50 percent of maximal oxygen uptake and the second at 80 percent), followed by an all-out 30-minute performance trial.

After 24 weeks of supplementation, the carnitine group increased performance from baseline by 11 percent in the exercise trials compared to no improvement in the placebo group. Participants who took carnitine also rated the trial and the exercise bout they performed at 80 percent of max to be easier than at baseline, while the placebo had no difference in rating of perceived exertion (RPE).

Two key points from this study are essential for making carnitine supplementation effective at elevating performance. First, it takes a long supplementation period to raise muscle carnitine levels and reap the benefits of improved energy production. In this study after three months there were no changes in performance or RPE from baseline, but after 6 months those improvements were pronounced and statistically significant. Somewhere between 3 and 6 months is the magic number, meaning taking carnitine is a lifestyle supplement just like omega-3s are.

Second, carnitine doesn’t accumulate or “load” in muscle unless accompanied by high insulin concentrations. This explains why many previous studies have NOT shown increases in muscle carnitine after taking it in multi-gram doses. In this study the carnitine was taken with carbs because the carbs triggered insulin release, which allowed the carnitine to load into the muscle. Take note that there is a big focus in the health world on minimizing insulin secretion from carbs for optimal body composition. This is critical, but be aware that insulin is actually a potent anabolic hormone if the cells are sensitive to it and if appropriate levels are present.

Pairing carnitine with carbs is one option, but as shown in #3, carnitine can also be paired with omega-3s, which may be more appropriate for individuals whose primary goal is to lose fat. In my experience, best fat loss results come from a 5 to 1 ratio of omega-3s to carnitine. If you’re taking 20 grams of omega-3s, you’d pair it with 4 grams of carnitine. But, if you’re more conservative with your omega-3 supplementation, you can start with 1 to 2 grams of carnitine and work up to 4 grams, which was the dose used in this study.

6) Increase Work Capacity With Carnitine

Another benefit of raising carnitine levels is that you’ll have a greater work capacity, but it will not feel as physically difficult. You’ll be able to lift more weight, complete more reps, or run faster and longer, but with more ease. This is because higher muscle carnitine levels help decreases pain, muscle damage, and markers of metabolic stress from high-intensity exercise by decreasing lactic acid production.

A higher level of carnitine increases energy production, but it also has the effect of accelerating muscle buffering by maintaining the pH of the muscle and minimizing the accumulation of hydrogen ions. Basically, carnitine helps eliminate the byproducts of intense exercise that cause pain and muscle damage (the burning you may feel when training hard), allowing you to work harder.

In the Journal of Physiology study, results show how higher muscle carnitine levels increase work capacity by reducing lactate accumulation in the muscles. Following the exercise bout at 80 percent of maximal, muscle lactate buildup was 44 percent lower in participants that supplemented with carnitine compared to the control group. Following the exercise bout at 50 percent of maximal, the carnitine group used 55 percent less muscle glycogen than the control group indicating that they burned more fat for fuel and had improved energy production. ??

The combination of less lactate buildup and greater fat burning in the two exercise bouts allowed the carnitine group to increase work output by 35 percent, while having a lower RPE. In simple terms, taking carnitine is a no-brainer if you want to improve body composition by burning more fat and be able to train at a higher level!

7) Enhance Recovery with Carnitine

Take carnitine to speed both short- and long-term recovery from intense training and you’ll have less pain, soreness, and feel more energized. Muscle lactate buildup is a limiting factor that inhibits performance and causes muscle pain, meaning that if you produce less of it and are able to clear it faster, you will have a faster recovery.

Taking carnitine will also support an anabolic response to exercise by up-regulating the androgen receptors, which will “help to mediate quicker recovery,” according to one research group. Two studies led by William J. Kraemer tested the hormonal response to taking carnitine tartrate. In one of these studies, supplementing with carnitine for 21 days produced an increase in the resting content of the androgen receptors that bind with testosterone, indicating a better anabolic environment. Following resistance exercise, participants also had increased androgen receptor content that indicated greater cellular uptake of testosterone and increased protein synthesis. Enhanced protein synthesis allows tissue that was damaged during training to regenerate faster and speed recovery.

The second study also had participants take carnitine or a placebo for 21 days and found that after intense resistance training, the carnitine group had reduced muscle tissue damage (assessed by MRI) and increased IGFBP-3 levels (a binding protein that promotes tissue synthesis). Researchers suggest carnitine supplementation helps promote recovery by producing “more undamaged tissue, (and a) greater number of intact receptors that would be available for hormonal interactions.”

8) Improve Cognitive Performance with Acetyl-L-Carnitine and Increase Motivation

A form of carnitine called acetyl-l-carnitine will give you superior brain function and increase motivation, meaning it’s a great supplement for people who want to lose weight but feel unmotivated to exercise. Acetyl-l-carnitine helps DHA omega-3 fish oils work their magic on the brain—just like carnitine tartrate, this form needs to be taken with omega-3s in order to facilitate fat burning for energy in the brain.

Acetyl-l-carnitine is a powerful antioxidant and can detoxify the brain of heavy metals we suggest pairing it with Alpha Lipoic Acid along with DHA because all together they support dopamine levels, while increasing attention span and motivation. For depressed people or those who need to lose weight, it works wonders on motivation and self-initiative, both with training and work-related tasks. And by taking acetyl-l-carnitine, you’ll still benefit from improved energy, physical performance, work capacity, and a speedy recovery, all benefits to help you achieve a lean physique.

A number of research studies support the use of acetyl-l-carnitine for a better brain. For example, a new study in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology found that giving patients with liver dysfunction acetyl-l-carnitine significantly improved their physical function, general health, overall mood, and well-being. They also reported less depression and anxiety.

9) Prevent Type 2 Diabetes and Improve Insulin Health With Carnitine

Carnitine is emerging as a supplement that can prevent type 2 diabetes because of how it improves fat metabolism. It can counter the diseases of metabolic syndrome by preventing atherosclerosis, and supporting cardiovascular health, while inducing fat loss.

Plus, raising carnitine levels will fight related type 2 diabetes factors because it has antioxidant properties, meaning it abolishes free radicals and reduces oxidative stress. The key to improving your insulin health and losing fat with carnitine is to understand that the following interrelated factors must be present for this method to be effective:

A) Take carnitine with omega-3 fish oils. Remember, a 1 to 5 ratio is suggested.

B) Adopt this supplementation protocol as a lifestyle habit, not a one time thing. Research shows androgen receptors are up-regulated after three weeks, triglycerides are improved after three months, but muscle carnitine level isn’t elevated for close to six months.

C) A high-protein diet and exercise will make it much more effective

10) Carnitine Supplementation Counters Cachexia or Wasting Disease

Raising carnitine levels can counter cachexia or wasting syndrome that is associated with diseases including cancer, AIDS, heart disease, and lung disease. Although this is not a common problem among the Poliquin readership, it should be mentioned here because carnitine supplementation is able to restore metabolic parameters in individuals with cachexia and thereby help fight the progression of life-threatening diseases.

Cachexia is characterized by progressive weight loss, muscle loss, cognitive decline, poor insulin health, inflammation, and poor organ function, among other things. Emerging evidence shows that in patients with cancer cachexia, carnitine is depleted and metabolism is impaired. A new study in Nutrition Journal found that giving carnitine to men with pancreatic cancer who were suffering from cachexia improved their lean mass, increased energy metabolism, and improved their quality of life. Using carnitine produced a trend to increased survival over the course of the study and towards reduced hospital stays.

11) Take Carnitine to Improve Male Fertility

Having adequate carnitine levels has been shown to be necessary for male fertility. One study found that fertile males had higher levels of carnitine and this was associated with healthier sperm. The men who were classified as infertile had lower carnitine and compromised sperm health. This study suggests that ensuring you have get adequate carnitine in conjunction with healthy lifestyle practices can support fertility.

12) Use Carnitine for Better Skin

A topical carnitine cream can improve the health of your skin by decreasing the amount of oil released by the pores. A new study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology found that a carnitine cream increased the amount of fat that entered the cell, which decreased the oil secreted by the skin. This led to less oily skin and a smoother overall appearance. It also indicates the value of using carnitine to improve the transport of carnitine across the cellular wall to be burned for fat because Beta fat oxidation, or burning, was enhanced.

Turmeric is a perennial plant of the ginger family, native to southwest India. Turmeric is commonly consumed in powder form and used as a spice.

To make turmeric powder, the leaves of the plant are boiled for 30-45 minutes, dried in ovens and then ground into a deep orange-yellow powder. Turmeric powder is a common spice used in Indian and Pakistani cuisine. It is a major component of curry and can also be used for dyeing cloth.

There are three naturally occurring phytochemicals in turmeric: curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemothoxycurcumin, together referred to as curcuminoids.

This MNT Knowledge Center feature is part of a collection of articles on the health benefits of popular foods. It provides a nutritional breakdown of turmeric and an in-depth look at its possible health benefits, how to incorporate more turmeric into your diet and any potential health risks of consuming turmeric.

Contents of this article:

Nutritional breakdown of turmeric, possible health benefits
Further health benefits, how to incorporate more turmeric into your diet, possible risks
Nutritional breakdown of turmericTurmeric root and powder.

According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, one tablespoon of turmeric powder contains 29 calories, 0.9 grams of protein, 0.3 grams of fat and 6.3 grams of carbohydrates (including 2 grams of fiber and 0.3 grams of sugar).1

That same 1 tablespoon serving provides 26% of your daily manganese needs, 16% of iron, 5% of potassium and 3% of vitamin C.

Turmeric has traditionally been used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine to treat inflammatory conditions, skin diseases, wounds, digestive ailments and liver conditions.

Possible benefits of consuming turmeric
Curcumin is the active substance in turmeric believed to be the source of its many health benefits. Curcumin is also responsible for turmeric's distinctly earthy, slightly bitter and peppery flavor.

Digestion
Curcumin may help improve digestion by stimulating the gallbladder to produce bile. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study showed that turmeric reduced bloating and gas in people suffering from indigestion. The German Commission E, a group that determines which herbs can safely be prescribed in Germany, has approved the use of turmeric for digestive problems.2

Does vitamin A do anything to help eyes and vision? Can a vitamin A deficiency cause blindness? Is it dangerous to consume too much vitamin A?

Read on for answers to these questions and other useful facts about this important antioxidant vitamin, including information about eye benefits of vitamin A and beta carotene, top vitamin A foods, and possible benefits of vitamin A eye drops.
What Is Vitamin A?

Vitamin A actually is a group of antioxidant compounds that play an important role in vision, bone growth and health of the immune system. Vitamin A also helps the surface of the eye, mucous membranes and skin be effective barriers to bacteria and viruses, reducing the risk of eye infections, respiratory problems and other infectious diseases.

In general, there are two types of vitamin A, depending on the type of food source it comes from:
Sweet potatoes and carrots are excellent sources or provitamin A carotenoids that are good for your eyes.

    Vitamin A from animal-derived foods is called retinol. This "pre-formed" vitamin A can be used directly by the body. Good food sources of retinol vitamin A include beef and chicken liver, whole milk and cheese.
    Vitamin A obtained from colorful fruits and vegetables is in the form of "provitamin A" carotenoids, which are converted to retinol by the body after the food is ingested. Good food sources of provitamin A carotenoids include carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale and cantaloupes.

Beta carotene is one of the most prevalent and effective provitamin A carotenoids.
Eye Benefits of Vitamin A and Beta Carotene

Because vitamin A helps protect the surface of the eye (cornea), it is essential for good vision.

Studies show vitamin A eye drops are effective for the treatment of dry eyes. In fact, one study found that over-the-counter lubricating eye drops containing vitamin A were as effective for the treatment of dry eye syndrome as more expensive prescription eye drops formulated for dry eye relief.

Vitamin A eye drops also have been shown effective for the treatment of a specific type of eye inflammation called superior limbic keratoconjunctivitis.

Vitamin A, at least when in combination with other antioxidant vitamins, also appears to play a role in decreasing the risk of macular degeneration (AMD). In the landmark Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) sponsored by the National Eye Institute, people at high risk for the disease who took a daily multiple vitamin that included vitamin A (as beta carotene), vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc and copper had a 25 percent reduced risk of advanced AMD during a six-year period.

It also appears that a combination of vitamin A and lutein may prolong vision in people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa (RP). A recent four-year study conducted by researchers from Harvard Medical School and other prominent universities found that individuals with retinitis pigmentosa who took daily supplements of vitamin A (15,000 IU) and lutein (12 mg) had a slower loss of peripheral vision than those who did not take the combined supplements.

Because beta carotene is converted into vitamin A in the body, it's likely beta carotene (provitamin A) offers similar eye benefits as the pre-formed retinol type of vitamin A, though more research is needed to confirm this.

In early 2011, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (New York) found that a synthetic, altered form of vitamin A might be able to slow the progression of Stargardt's disease, an inherited eye disease that causes severe vision loss in young people.

When given to mice with the same genetic defect as humans with Stargardt's disease (also called juvenile macular degeneration), the modified vitamin A inhibited the growth of clump-like deposits in the retina called "vitamin A dimers" that are associated with degenerative changes and vision loss.

The National Eye Institute has awarded the researchers a $1.25 million grant to further investigate the link between vitamin A dimers and various retinal degenerations, which could lead to new approaches to treat these diseases.

Also, Alkeus Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, Mass.) has licensed certain patents from Columbia University related to the research and is planning to launch clinical trials for the treatment of Stargardt's disease and macular degeneration with modified vitamin A in the near future.
Vitamin A Deficiency

Vitamin A deficiency is rare in the United States, but it is common among the poor in developing countries. It's estimated that approximately 250,000 to 500,000 malnourished children worldwide become blind each year due to vitamin A deficiency that could have been prevented with a proper diet.

One of the first signs of vitamin A deficiency is night blindness. In ancient Egypt, it was discovered that night blindness could be cured by eating liver, which later was found to be a rich source of vitamin A.

A lack of vitamin A causes the cornea to become very dry, leading to clouding of the front of the eye, corneal ulcers and vision loss. Vitamin A deficiency also causes damage to the retina, which also contributes to blindness.

Because vitamin A also is important for resistance to infection and a healthy immune system, vitamin A deficiency can lead to death from respiratory and other infections.