ReviewMolecules (Basel, Switzerland)2020
Carnitine in Human Muscle Bioenergetics: Can Carnitine Supplementation Improve Physical Exercise?
Review in Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 67 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
67 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 111 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of Acute and Chronic Oral l-Carnitine Supplementation on Exercise Performance Based on the Exercise Intensity: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2021Pooled it
- Trial
- Hydrogen-Rich Gas Enhanced Sprint-Interval Performance: Metabolomic Insights into Underlying Mechanisms.Nutrients · 2024Trial
- l-carnitine supplementation vs cycle ergometer exercise for physical activity and muscle status in hemodialysis patients: A randomized clinical trial.Therapeutic apheresis and dialysis : official peer-reviewed journal of the International Society for Apheresis, the Japanese Society for Apheresis, the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy · 2021Trial
- Multi-omics analysis reveals the mechanism of enhanced GABA production in Lactiplantibacillus plantarum JY7 under acoustic and thermal coupling.Ultrasonics sonochemistry · 2026Article
- Review
- Integration of metabolomics and machine learning algorithm for discovery of early diagnostic biomarkers of osteoporosis.Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society · 2026Article
- Correlation analysis of blood metabolites and periventricular leukomalacia in preterm infants two weeks postnatally.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Metabolomic responses are more sensitive in muscle than serum following 28 days of arduous exercise with erythropoietin administration.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- The in vivo disposition of mildronate and its regulatory effects on L-carnitine in rats.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026Article
- Fluorinated Carnitine Derivatives as Tools to Visualise Carnitine Transport and Metabolism.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- From mechanisms to management: a comprehensive review of sarcopenia in gastric cancer.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- The causal effects of 1400 genetically determined human blood metabolites and metabolite ratios on the risk of gastrointestinal tumors: a Mendelian randomization study.Archives of medical science : AMS · 2026Article
- Associations of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and its precursors with childhood obesity: a case-control study.BMC endocrine disorders · 2025Article
- Can Dietary Supplements Support Muscle Function and Physical Activity? A Narrative Review.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Energy metabolism in different skeletal muscles and muscle fibers: implications for injury and dietary supplementation.Pflugers Archiv : European journal of physiology · 2025Review
- Effect of L-Carnitine on Muscle Quality and Antioxidant Capacity of Hybrid Sheep at an Early Stage.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Differential Metabolomics and Cardiac Function in Trained vs. Untrained Yili Performance Horses.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Salivary Biosensing Opportunities for Predicting Cognitive and Physical Human Performance.Biosensors · 2025Article
- Protein and Amino Acid Supplementation Among Recreational Gym Goers and Associated Factors-An Exploratory Study.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025Article
7 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
l-Carnitine is an amino acid derivative widely known for its involvement in the transport of long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondrial matrix, where fatty acid oxidation occurs. Moreover, l-Carnitine protects the cell from acyl-CoA accretion through the generation of acylcarnitines. Circulating carnitine is mainly supplied by animal-based food products and to a lesser extent by endogenous biosynthesis in the liver and kidney. Human muscle contains high amounts of carnitine but it depends on the uptake of this compound from the bloodstream, due to muscle inability to synthesize carnitine. Mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation represents an important energy source for muscle metabolism particularly during physical exercise. However, especially during high-intensity exercise, this process seems to be limited by the mitochondrial availability of free l-carnitine. Hence, fatty acid oxidation rapidly declines, increasing exercise intensity from moderate to high. Considering the important role of fatty acids in muscle bioenergetics, and the limiting effect of free carnitine in fatty acid oxidation during endurance exercise, l-carnitine supplementation has been hypothesized to improve exercise performance. So far, the question of the role of l-carnitine supplementation on muscle performance has not definitively been clarified. Differences in exercise intensity, training or conditioning of the subjects, amount of l-carnitine administered, route and timing of administration relative to the exercise led to different experimental results. In this review, we will describe the role of l-carnitine in muscle energetics and the main causes that led to conflicting data on the use of l-carnitine as a supplement.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.