L-Carnitine Found to Preserve Cholesterol Health in Diabetics

by | Aug 18, 2009 | 2009, Blood Lipids, Cardiovascular Health, Carnitine, Diabetes

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. 81 patients with type 2 diabetes who received 2 gram/day of L-carnitine for 3 months had a 65%decrease in LDL (bad) cholesterol and a greater decrease in triglyceride levels.

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. The condition now affects 24 million Americans and costs our healthcare system $174 billion each year.  Diabetics have double the overall risk of death, compared to those without diabetes of similar age.  Diabetes can lead to permanent disability, debilitation, and numerous health complications that include heart disease, stroke, blindness, chronic kidney disease, and amputations (1).

Now a new study (2) has found that L-Carnitine (LC), may help maintain cholesterol health in diabetics.  In the study, 81 patients with type 2 diabetes received either 2 grams of LC or placebo per day for 3 months.  By the end of the study, the researchers found that those in the LC group “showed significant improvements” compared with the placebo group regarding:

  • Oxidized LDL cholesterol: 15.1% lower in the LC group
  • LDL cholesterol levels: LC patients had a 65% greater decrease compared to placebo
  • Triglyceride levels: LC patients had a more than 11 times greater decrease compared to placebo (1.02 compared with 0.09 mmol/L)
  • Oxidide stress: LC group had a 384% greater decrease in TBars, a measure of cell damage (concentrations decreased by 1.92 compared with 0.05)

For the researchers, “our study indicates that oral administration of L-carnitine reduces oxidized LDL cholesterol levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.”

Source: Malaguarnera, Mariano, et al. “L-Carnitine supplementation reduces oxidized LDL cholesterol in patients with diabetes.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 89.1 (2009): 71-76.

© 2009 American Society for Nutrition

Posted August 18, 2009. 

Reference:

  1. “Number of People with Diabetes Continues to Increase” from the CDC Website http://www.cdc.gov/Features/DiabetesFactSheet/
  2. Malaguarnera M. L-Carnitine supplementation reduces oxidized LDL cholesterol in patients with diabetes.  Am J Clin Nutr 2009 89: 71-76. First published online January 1, 2009.