Ignore the ridiculous media coverage – L-carnitine and acetyl L-carnitine are excellent supplements

Where there’s smoke, there’s mirrors

Not since Oprah herself swore another hamburger would never pass her lips has there been so much mainstream press about beef.

(On a side note: I’m willing to bet Ms. Winfrey has given into temptation once or twice…)

But this time, it’s not the cattle ranchers who are up in arms…it’s the nutritional industry.

Because in this attack, the mainstream has one of our own in its cross-hairs.

Rest assured… The “danger” of L-carnitine is complete nonsense blown way out of proportion to bump up ratings and sell more magazines.

Clear thinking

L-carnitine is an amino acid in red meat, chicken, seafood, dairy, and other proteins.

According to a new study, L-carnitine might set off a series of actions in your gut that creates a compound called TMAO. This compound might also cause heart disease in mice. And in a small trial with humans, meat-eaters had higher TMAO levels compared to vegetarians.

Well that’s all it took. The media threw down the cards and declared L-carnitine the “culprit” behind heart disease. But even The New York Times (which piled on against L-carnitine) admitted that there’s no link between TMAO and heart disease in humans. It’s all connect-the-dots theory.

The reporting also conveniently fails to even mention the many studies that have clearly linked L-carnitine with heart health support.

So there is certainly no need to dump your L-carnitine supplement. From the e-mails I’ve gotten since the story first broke, I can see this is what most of you were worried about.

And there’s also a little confusion. One member asked about the difference between L-carnitine and acetyl L-carnitine (ALC). Good question. Because both are essential in different ways.

L-carnitine delivers valuable fatty acids to your mitochondria – the powerhouses of your cells. It also helps convert body fat into fuel. And that boosts your energy levels.

Research also shows that L-carnitine protects heart muscle cells from heart attack damage. In a recent Mayo Clinic review of 13 studies, L-carnitine supplements reduced all-cause mortality when used as preventive therapy after heart attack.

And those are real-world results at one of the world’s most respected institutions (more respected than Oprah even!).

ALC is one of the types of L-carnitine. But ALC goes to work on your brain. It stimulates a key neurotransmitter that supports memory function. It also prevents brain-cell death, and protects nerve cells from age-related degeneration.

If you use ALC, your body converts some of it into L-carnitine. So an ALC supplement actually delivers both forms of this valuable amino acid.

As I see it…if you’re worried about your heart health, instead of throwing out your supplements, throw our your New York Times.

Sources:
“Culprit in Heart Disease Goes Beyond Meat’s Fat” Gina Kolata, The New York Times, 4/7/13, nytimes.com

“L-carnitine retakes spotlight, hints at survival benefit in acute MI: Meta-analysis” Steve Stiles, The Heart, 4/12/13, theheart.org