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Acetyl-L-Carnitine

Overview

Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC), an esterified form of L-carnitine, is one of the most common metabolites of carnitine present naturally in humans and mammals’ plasma and tissue¹⁻².

 

ALC is readily convert into carnitine and acetyl-CoA back in mitochondria according to the metabolic needs of the cell. It is absorbed from the gut and actively crosses the blood-brain barrier². L-carnitine acts as a transporter of long-chain fatty acids between cytoplasm and mitochondria for β-oxidation³⁻⁴.

 

Growing clinical evidence supports multiple health benefits of ALC on cognitive functions and various neurological disorders.

Key indications

Mild cognitive impairment

Taking 1.5g to 2g of ALC daily for at least 3 months may improve memory and intellectual functions as resulted in better scores in clinical and psychometric assessment scales in older people with memory deficits compared to those in the placebo groups⁹.

Depression

Depressed patients have higher total cortisol secretion possibly attributed by heightened activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis¹⁰. Daily consumption of 500mg of ALC, 3 times daily for 2 months may significantly improve mood and counteracting depression symptoms in elderly with depressive disturbance as measured by decreased scores in the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression¹¹.

Alzheimer’s Disease

As ALC levels are declined in many forms of dementia, daily supplementation of ALC may improve spacial learning tasks, timed tasks of attention, discrimination-learning tasks and personal recognition tasks. Reduction in deterioration of reaction time and short-term memory associated tasks have also been observed⁵⁻⁷. Long term memory performance and delay in behavioural deterioration are recorded Male infertilityafter one-year administration of 1g to 2g of ALC⁸.

Male infertility

Consumption of 1g to 3g of ALC (alone and in combination with 2g of L-carnitine) may increase sperm morphology and total and forward sperm mobility in males with fertility problems in 6 months¹²⁻¹³. Result is more significant in men receiving the combination therapy.

Adverse effects¹⁴⁻¹⁵

ALC is generally well tolerated for most people without incidence of significant side effects even with long term administration. The most common adverse reactions include stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, headache, and restlessness. “Fishy” odour of urine, breath and sweat may possibly be observed in some individuals.

Dosage range

Typical doses used in clinical trials are in the ranging from 1g – 3g daily.

Contraindications/cautions¹⁴⁻¹⁵

  • ALC might worsen symptoms or interfere with the drugs and hormone in people
    with the following diseases or condition.
    – Bipolar disorder
    – Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy
    – Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
    – Seizures
  • Be cautious when you are taking these drugs and supplements as interaction may occur:
    – Acenocoumarol (Sintrom)
    – Warfarin (Coumadin)
    – Serotonergic drugs
    – Thyroid hormone
    – D-carnitine
    – Herbs and supplements with serotonergic properties
  • Safety data on pregnancy and breast-feeding has not been established.

References :

  1. Burlina, A. P., Sershen, H., Debler, E. A., Lajthri. A. (1989). Uptake of acetyl-carnitine in the brain. Neurochem Res, 14:489-493.
  2. Jones, L. L., McDonald, D. A., & Borum, P. R. (2010). Acylcarnitines: role in brain. Prog Lipid Res, 49:61–75.
  3. Lehninger, A. (1982.) Principles of biochemistry. Does education level determine the course of cognitive decline? Age Ageing, 25: 392–397.
  4. Pande S, Noel H, Murthy M (1986). Characteristics of, function of, and deficiency of carnitine acylcarnitine translocase. In: Borum P (editor): Clinical aspects of human carnitine deficiency. New York: Pergamon Press; pp. 166–180.
  5. Rai G., Wright, G. Scott, L., et al. (1990). Double blind, placebo controlled study of acetyl-L-carnitine in patients with Alzheimer’s dementia. Curr Med Res Opin, 11: 638-647.
  6. Bonavita, E. (1986). Study of the efficacy and tolerability of L-acetylcarnitine therapy in the senile brain. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther Toxicol. 24: 511-516.
  7. Sano, M., Bell, K., Cote, L., et al. (1992). Double-blind parallel design pilot study of acetyl levocarnitine in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Arch Neurol, 49:1137-1141.
  8. Spagnoli, A., Lucca, U., Menasce, G., et al. (1991). Long-term acetyl-L-carnitine treatment in Alzheimer’s diseases. Neurology, 41:1726-1732.
  9. Montgomery S. A., Thal, L. J., & Amrein, R. (2003). Meta-analysis of double blind randomized controlled clinical trials of acetyl-L-carnitine versus placebo in the treatment mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer’s disease. International Clinical Psychopharmacology, 18(2), 61-71.
  10. Gecele,M.,Francesetti,G.,&Meluzzi,A.(1991)..Dementia,2:333-337.
  11. Garzya,G.,Corallo,D.,Fiore,A.,etal.(1990).DrugsExpClinRes,16:101-106.
  12. Lenzi,A.,Sgro,P.,Salacone,P.,etal.(2004).Aplacebo-controlled,double-blindrandomizedtrialoftheusedofcombinedL-carnitineandL-acetyl- carnitinetreatmentinmenwithasthenozoospermia.FertilSteril,81:1578-1584.
  13. Balercia,G.,Regoli,F.,Armeni,T.,etal.(2005). Placebo-controlleddouble-blindrandomizedtrialontheuseofL-carnitine, L-acetylcarnitine, orcombinedL-carnitineandL- acetylcarnitineinmenwithidiopathicasthenozoospermia.FertilSteril, 84:662-671.
  14. Drugs.com.(2022,January10). Acetyl-L-Carnitine.Retrievedfromhttps://www.drugs.com/npc/acetyl-l-carnitine.html
  15. WebMD.(2022).Acetyl-L-Carnitine-Uses, SideEffects, and More. Retrievefromhttps://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-834/ace-tyl-l carnitine.

The material is prepared for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a piece of personal medical advice. Owing to each person’s varying health needs, a physician should be consulted before acting on any information provided in this material. Although every effort is made to ensure that this material is accurate, it is compiled for internal use only and should not be considered definitive. Neither VitaHealth nor its employees, or information providers shall be responsible or liable for any errors, inaccuracies, or other defects in the information contained in this publication.

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Acetyl-L-Carnitine

Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC), an esterified form of L-carnitine, is one of the most common metabolites of carnitine present naturally in humans and mammals’ plasma and tissue¹⁻².

READ MORE
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