Living Longer with L-carnitine

Adapted from the HSI Newsletter article

Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 104?

You may recognize that question as a slight rewording (or rather, renumbering) from the Beatles song "When I'm 64."

The original lyric, written by Paul McCartney, was recorded when he was 24 – four decades shy of 64. When Paul turned 64 two years ago, I wonder if he looked ahead another four decades and pondered what life might be like at 104.

Safe to say, most of us don't expect to celebrate many birthdays beyond ten decades. But when researchers recently conducted a trial restricted to subjects over the age of 100, they found surprising results that are enlightening for Paul and anyone else who's interested in maintaining good health into advanced age.
 
In addition to the question "Will you still feed me?" we might also ask, "What will you feed me?"

If the answer includes plenty of meat, chicken, fish, and dairy products, then the body will be getting the raw materials it needs to increase levels of L-carnitine, a key amino acid.

In previous e-Alerts I've told you about the importance of L-carnitine, which is responsible for a number of important functions:

Delivers omega-3 fatty acids to cell mitochondria

Helps protect cells from damage – especially heart cells

Raises the levels of enzymes needed to metabolize carbohydrates

Helps boost cellular energy

Helps maintain muscle strength

But there are two problems associated with L-carnitine: 1) The body only absorbs about a quarter of the L-carnitine supplied by food, and 2) The body produces less L-carnitine as we age.

Over the long term, that aging attrition creates predictable results.

In a recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers at the University of Catania in Italy reported on a study in which they examined the effects of L-carnitine supplementation on 66 subjects. And as I mentioned above, each subject was at least 100 years old. In addition, all the subjects experienced fatigue after slight physical activity.

Subjects were divided into two groups to receive either two grams of L-carnitine daily or a placebo for six months.

At the end of the intervention, tests revealed five remarkable results:

• Physical fatigue after exercise was significantly less in the L-carnitine group

• Mental fatigue was significantly less in the L-carnitine group

• In a 30-point test to assess cognitive sharpness, subjects in the L-carnitine group scored more than four points higher on average than subjects in the placebo group

• Total muscle mass was significantly higher in the L-carnitine group

• Total fat mass was significantly lower in the L-carnitine group

Elderly people are not the only ones who might benefit from L-carnitine supplementation.

In the e-Alert "Need a Lift?" (1/29/07), I told you about a study that examined the effects of several different dosage levels of L-carnitine on cancer patients who experienced moderate to severe fatigue. Overall, fatigue and depression decreased considerably in subjects who took L-carnitine, while sleep problems were also alleviated. The most pronounced results were found among subjects who received the highest doses – three grams per day. Even at these higher doses, the supplements were well tolerated.

Note:  Leading natural health authority Jon Barron recommended using L-carnatine to help reverse and retard aging - along with L-carnosine and DMAE and, to a lesser extent, other key supplements.  To find out more, click here to read The Nature of Aging