carnitine

[peter s]

Similar question to my one about coq10, there seem many forms out there: acetyl-l-carnitine, l-carnitine fumarate, glycocarnitines, various combination products, etc. etc. It is hard for me to figure out the differences and which are best for general heart/muscle health. Any insight welcome.

[Brian C.]

I think it again a case for each of us to sort out individually. I have used both varieties and am presently using the l-carnitine variety. Can't say I have detected any difference in my body's response Peter. Other people may be more sensitive to the differences depending on the nature of their problem.

[Darrell]

Unless you're a vegetarian, I don't know of any good reason to take carnitine supplements except for some cardiac or skeletal muscle problems triggered by statins or for a genetic problem called CPT II. There is evidence to suggest that some statin problems are CPT II problems (adult myopathic form), exacerbated and unmasked by statin damage.

In my experience (statin-induced leg muscle damage), every form of carnitine I have tried has been beneficial. When my leg is aching, I can start to feel the improvements within an hour of ingesting 500 or 1,000 mg. I can also take it ahead of extended exercise to ward off exercise intolerance.

I eventually settled on a combination product (acetyl-, propionyl-, and Q10), mainly for the convenience, but also to "not put all my eggs in one basket" as it were. Here's what I've been taking for over a year:
*http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-GlycoCarn-ALC-CoQ10