What carnitine does do the body is help preserve muscle glycogen as well as promote fat oxidation.
Carnitine also spares the use of amino acids as energy sources during exercise, which makes them more potentially available for new protein synthesis as well as decreases the accumulation of lactate.
Carnitine basically helps your body turn fat into energy and L-carnitine is very important for the heart and brain to function properly as well as to allow for proper muscle movement and other body processes.
Your body can convert L-carnitine to other chemicals that are called acetyl-L-carnitine and propionyl-L-carnitine.
Carnitine affects the brain, especially in the form of ALC or acetyl-L-carnitine, by supporting mitochondrial function, enhancing energy metabolism, contributing to neural plasticity and modulating of neurotransmitters.
Carnitine also plays neuroprotective roles by reducing of oxidative stress and has also been studied for it's potential benefits in cognitive disorders such as depression, traumatic brain injury as well as Alzheimer's disease.
Carnitine also affects your heart as carnitine plays a vital role in cardiac energy production, by helping to transport the needed fatty acids into mitochondria for fuel, which can help to improve your heart's function and protect against damage from ischemic events.
Although your gut microbiota can metabolize carnitine into trimethylamine N-oxide or TMAO, a compound which is linked to increased cardiovascular risks such as atherosclerosis and heart attacks.
Carnitine can also increase dopamine in the brain, specifically in the brain regions of the striatium, nucleus, cortex, accumbens and the hippocampus.
Carnitine appears to increase dopamine in the brain by stimulating the release of dopamine from the neurons.
Acetyl-L-Carnitine also has shown potential for improving symptoms of depression as well as acting as a neuroprotective agent.
Eating foods such as red meat, poultry and dairy and even L-carnitine supplements are what increases carnitine in the body.
The body also naturally produces carnitine, although dietary sources of carnitine are also crucial, especially if you're a vegan.
High intensity exercise can also temporarily deplete muscle carnitine and chronic ingestion of carnitine and carbohydrates can increase muscle carnitine content.
Milk is not high in carnitine although milk does contain some small amounts of carnitine as well as other dairy products also contain small amounts of carnitine.
Chicken is also not high in carnitine although it does contain some amount of carnitine.
Chicken contains relatively low levels of carnitine although red meat contains much higher amounts of carnitine.
Fish and dairy products as well as avocado contain small amounts of carnitine but red meat is the best source of carnitine.
Examples of red meat with higher levels of carnitine are venison, goat meat, veal, lamb, pork and beef as well as mutton.
The symptoms of a carnitine deficiency are irritability, poor feeding in infants, growth failure in children and infants, delayed motor development, exercise intolerance, muscle weakness and fatigue.
Carnitine deficiency happens when the body has low levels of carnitine.
Carnitine is an essential nutrient that the body needs for energy production.
Other symptoms that can occur with a carnitine deficiency are hypoglycemia which is low blood sugar, Hepatomegaly which is an enlarged liver, Cardiomyopathy which is heart muscle disease and coma and seizures.
Some other specific symptoms of carnitine deficiency in newborns are failure to thrive, Anemia and respiratory problems.
Other specific symptoms of carnitine deficiency in adults are muscle aches, joint pain and increased risk of infections and liver damage.
Some people with a carnitine deficiency don't have any symptoms or may only have mild symptoms.
If you have any of the above symptoms or a child or baby has any symptoms of a carnitine deficiency you should see a doctor about the issue.
Carnitine deficiency can be a serious condition which requires prompt diagnosis and prompt treatment.
If the carnitine deficiency is confined to the muscles it causes weakness in the hips, shoulders and upper arms and legs and the neck and jaw muscles also may be weak and heart muscle weakness can also occur.
Carnitine also interacts with pivalate-conjugated antibiotics, such as pivampicillin, that are used to prevent urinary tract infections.
Chronic administration of these antibiotics can lead to carnitine depletion as well.