L-CARNITINE

R E S E A R C H
& R E V I E W
A publication from Lonzagroup —The world’s leading raw material supplier of L-Carnitine Issue 4

L-Carnitine - a natural approach for

weight management
What causes obesity ?
In scientific terms, obesity occurs when a person’s caloric intake exceeds
the amount of energy he or she burns. Contributory factors to the develop-
ment of obesity are outlined on Figure 2.

INTRODUCTION
Genetics Environment
Obesity is a serious health problem in
Western societies affecting more than
Metabolism Food Density
30% of the adult population in the Hormones Physical Activity
United States. A common parameter for Others Overweight Others

the classification of the degree of obesity

is the body mass index (BMI). At present
more than 50% of US adults are over- Other Psychological
weight (BMI>25)1. Research evidence Factors Obesity Factors
shows that the easiest way to get rid of
extra weight is by combining reduced Disease
Depression
Drugs
Others
calorie intake with increased exercise. Others
However, only a small minority of people
can successfully face the challenge of
maintaining this weight loss for a pro- Figure 2: Some of the contributory factors to the development of obesity.
longed period of time.
Why dieting is not enough?
When people lose weight by dieting, they lose at least 25-30% of the
Cardiovascular
Disease weight from dehydration (fluid loss), muscle, bone density and lean tissue
rather than fat. Losing lean tissue is unhealthy and counter-productive for
Cancer Diabetes weight management and weakens the body, thus making physical activity very
difficult. Growing scientific evidence indicates that supplementation with the
Overweight nutrient L-Carnitine helps to promote a healthier body weight and favor
Osteoarthitis Sleep Apnea
Obesity muscle (lean tissue) deposition3, 4.
L-Carnitine is supplied to the body through both the endogenous synthesis
Gallstone Stroke and food intake. Endogenously the body only synthesizes about 20 mg, repre-
senting approximately 10% of the daily need. Ideally, a well balanced diet with
Respiratory the best sources being of animal origin could supply an additional 100-300
Disorder mg of L-Carnitine to the body5. Finally, the fact that long term ingestion of
very low calorie diets causes a decrease in plasma carnitine6, provides the
Figure 1: Overweight and obesity lead to a greater most convincing support for the use of supplementary dietary L-Carnitine as
risk of mortality and morbidity due to various diseases2.
a safe and effective approach for weight management.
 L-CARNITINE
There is good science behind all this…
Numerous studies have been conducted on L-Carnitine’s
role in weight management. Although many of these studies
have been conducted on obese subjects, L-Carnitine dietary
supplements are not recommended to treat obesity, which is a
disease that requires intervention by a health professional.
L-Carnitine is recommended, however, to be used as part of a
healthy weight management program for individuals concerned
about their weight.
• There is substantial evidence from animal studies showing
the beneficial effects of supplementary L-Carnitine in
weight management. Based on research in rats, it was pro
posed that a shortage of L-Carnitine may increase food
intake7.
• A placebo controlled study with obese adolescents
showed that L-Carnitine supplementation (2 g/day for 12
weeks) promoted significant weight loss, a decrease in BMI
and body fat content when used as a component of an
overall weight management program8.
• The most recent study performed in 100 obese people
provided convincing data about the beneficial effects of
L-Carnitine in conjunction with dieting and moderate
exercise. Obese people had a 25% greater loss in body
weight if they supplemented with L-Carnitine and their
BMI dropped by 1.5 (Figure 3), indicating that they were
coming closer to their ideal body weight.Total cholesterol,
LDL, blood sugar and blood pressure were significantly
lower in the L-Carnitine group as compared to control.
The authors concluded that supplementary L-Carnitine
supports optimal fat oxidation and consequently body
weight reduction9.
• An open clinical trial with 40 obese subjects, 19 to 68
years of age, showed the ineffectiveness of a low fat diet
over 8 weeks.The following significant alterations were
only achieved by dietary supplementation with high fiber
cookies, chromium picolinate (600 mg/day) and L-Carnitine
(200 mg/day): reduction in body weight, loss of body fat,
reduction in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. In
addition, subjects reported to feel more energy, less hunger
and fewer cravings for sugar which enabled them to
adhere easier to the diet regimen once they received diet
supplementation10.
L-Carnitine: a multi-facetted natural
approach for weight management
The only way to shed that extra weight is by burning excessive
fat by a process called b-oxidation, which converts long chain
fatty acids into energy. L-Carnitine is essential in energy metab-
olism as it is the only substance that transports long chain fatty
acids inside the mitochondria where they become available for
b-oxidation11 .To put it simply, L-Carnitine is needed to turn
fatty acids into energy and because energy is available from fat,
glucose reserves in the body are spared and breakdown of
amino acids for energy production is decreased.

5
% Individuals Showing

4
Complications

0
Weight Loss Decrease in BMI
■ L-Carnitine + Diet + Exercise Take Note...
■ Diet + Exercise
Figure 3: In an open, non controlled study, 100 obese people (aver-
age body weight 213.8 lb, 27 to 64 years of age) received diet (1200
The only way to shed that
kcal/day) or diet supplemented with L-Carnitine (3 g/day for 4
weeks) in conjunction with moderate exercise. Weight loss (kg; 1 lb=
extra weight is by burning
0.45 kg) and decrease in BMI (BMI = body weight/(height)2) are
shown following treatment with L-Carnitine. The difference in excessive fat.
weight loss between L-Carnitine supplementation and control was
significant9.
2
 R E S E A R C H
& R E V I E W

Glycogen L-Carnitine and Pet Nutrition: Losing

Weight and Gaining Muscle
Fat
Muscle 4 Brain
When used as a component of an overall weight loss program,
Promotion of L-Carnitine helps us to manage our weight, have more energy
Glucose Protein Synthesis
Glycolysis Fatty Acids and live longer, healthier lives. But what about our pets ? More
2 1 L-Carnitine than 50% of America’s cats and dogs are overweight. Excess
Pyuvate Shuttle Amino Acid Glucose
Breakdown 3 weight can reduce the length of a pet’s life by as much as 20%
Pyuvate Fatty Acids 7 – in humans this would be equivalent to 15 years. Couldn’t
Lactic Acid ß-Oxidation Hepatic
PDH
(Fatigue) Gluconeogenesis these portly pets also benefit from the energy boost and weight
L-Carnitine Acetyl CoA loss benefits L-Carnitine provides?
MITOCHONDRIA
Acetylcarnitine Hill’s Pet Nutrition, the maker of Science Diet® and Prescription
CoA 6 Oxaloacetate
Diet® brand pet foods, and Lonzagroup, the manufacturer of
Krebs Cycle CoA
Electron Transport Chain Citrate L-CARNIPURE® for pets, certainly think so. In an effort to pro-
ATP Citrate
Acylcarnitine (Energy)
duce the most scientifically advanced, highest quality pet food
(Plasma, Urine)
5 available, Hill’s teamed with Lonzagroup to examine L-Carnitine’s
CYTOPLASM
impact on overweight pets.
Research conducted by Hill’s supports the use of L-Carnitine
Figure 4: Proposed mechanism of action of L-Carnitine
in any weight management program. In initial studies, Hill’s placed
for weight management.
a group of overweight dogs on a weight loss program. Some
To explain the unique role of L-Carnitine in weight manage- dogs were fed Hill’s Prescription Diet® Canine r/d® dry supple-
ment one can figure out about 7 metabolic sites where it is mented with L-Carnitine and the rest were fed a similar prod-
potentially involved (see numbers in graph). uct without L-Carnitine. While both groups reached their ideal
❶ Supplemental L-Carnitine enhances the shuttling of long
weight, Figure 5 shows that the group fed Canine r/d® with
fatty acids into the mitochondria11 where they can be
broken down and used for energy production (b-oxidation). L-Carnitine increased lean muscle mass by 7.1%14.
In another study, cats fed Prescription Diet Feline w/d® dry
❷ Due to accelerated b-oxidation, more acetyl-coenzyme A
supplemented with L-Carnitine had four times the increase in
(CoA), an end product of b-oxidation, is produced.
Consequently, the activity of the enzyme pyruvate dehy lean body mass compared to control groups (Figure 5)15.
drogenase (PDH) is reduced resulting in a decrease of
250
carbohydrate breakdown (glycolysis).
Lean Body Mass (g)

❸ L-Carnitine supplementation has protein sparing effects:
the enhancement of b-oxidation reduces the breakdown
of branched chain amino acids by an internal feedback
mechanism and
❹ promotes protein synthesis resulting in a leaner body4.
❺ Supplemental L-Carnitine alleviates recycling of CoA: it
increases the levels of mitochondrial free CoA by shut-
tling the short chain acyl groups from inside the mito
chondria to the cytosol12.
❻ The improved availability of mitochondrial free CoA
favors the continuation of b-oxidation as the released
CoA is made available to the Krebs Cycle which is linked
with the electron transport chain where energy is ulti-
mately produced.
❼ The increased availability of amino acids supports hepatic
gluconeogenesis which results in an enhanced glucose
supply to the brain. As a consequence of the above,
L-Carnitine may induce appetite suppression and increase
the resting metabolic rate (RMR) which represents the
rate at which the body burns energy to sustain bodily
functions. It is noteworthy, that a low RMR is a predictor
of body weight gain as it is inversely related to body
weight13.
200
150
100
50
0
-50
L-Carnitine Control
-100
Figure 5 shows the lean body mass change (g) from the beginning to
the end of the study in dogs14 and cats15.
This muscle gain shown in both studies is important because leaner
animals are more likely to maintain their ideal body weight and
less likely to become overweight again.Through these series of
research studies, Hill’s has identified a level of L-Carnitine neces-
sary to provide benefits of optimal fat metabolism while main-
taining lean muscle.
In fact, because this is such a weighty problem, Hill’s Pet Nutrition
created the Hill’s® Pet Fit™ Challenge to encourage pet owners
to help manage their overweight pet’s condition.This easy-to-
follow weight control program was designed to help pets lose
weight, helping to regain their ideal weight, and thereby achieve
better health and possibly even extend their lives. For more
information, visit the Pet Fit™ website at www.petfit.com.
3
 Switzerland
CH-4002 Basel
P.O. Box
LONZA Ltd.

USA
Fair Lawn, NJ 07410
17-17 Route 208
LONZA Inc.

L-CARNITINE
Lonzagroup, the leading manufacturer and supplier of the bulk
and so to conclude... dietary supplement L-Carnitine, is the only supplier who can guar-
antee 100% pure, natural L-Carnitine- totally free from toxic
Studies in obese people have shown that only low calorie diets together D-Carnitine. Our L-Carnitine is Kosher certified and is found in
with physical exercise will guarantee long term weight loss. Both of these infant formula, multivitamins and a wide variety of health products.

measures induce a deficiency in L-Carnitine. Suboptimal levels of L-Carnitine Lonzagroup offers the following four forms of L-Carnitine:
L-Carnitine USP Free Base, our unique and patented L-Carnitine
may also cause fatigue and strongly impair b-oxidation. Clinical studies L-Tartrate (US Patent 5,073,376 and other international patents),
demonstrated the effectiveness of supplementary L-Carnitine for weight L-Carnitine Magnesium Citrate (US Patent 5,071,874 and other
management, the improvement of exercise performance and maintenance international patents) and Acetyl-L-Carnitine.
of a healthy heart (see Newsletter 2 & 3, available at www.carnitine.com). L-CARNIPURE® and the L-CARNIPURE® logo are registered
trademarks of LONZA Ltd. and your assurance of outstanding
With the above information on hand, it is anticipated that L-Carnitine is quality.
the nutritional supplement of choice for successful weight management. For more information:
Worldwide: In the USA:
References LONZA Ltd., Basel, Switzerland
Tel: +41-61-316-8111
LONZA Inc., Fair Lawn, NJ
Tel: 1-800-955-7426
1. Krauss, R.M. and Eckel, R.H. (1998). N. Engl. 9. Lurz, R. and Fischer, R. (1998).
Aerztezeitschrift für Naturheilverfahren Fax: +41-61-316-8446 Fax: 1-201-794-2695
J. Med. 338: 1156.
2. Bennet, P.H. (1990) in: Rifkin, H. and Porte, 39:12. E-mail: carnitine@lonza.com E-mail: carnitine@lonza-us.com
J.D. (eds) Diabtes Mellitus. New York, 10. Kaats, G.R. (1992). Cur.Ther. Res. 51: 261. Or visit our website at www.carnitine.com
Elsevier Science Publishing Co.: 357. 11. Cerrettelli, P. & Marconi, C. (1990). Intl. J.
3. Owen, K. et al (1996). Swine Day Rep. I. Sports Med. 11: 1. International offices in: Barcelona, Breda, Budapest, Cheltenham,
4. Owen, K. et al (1994). Swine Day. 161. 12. Leibovitz, B.E. (1993). L-Carni-tine. Hong Kong, Kourim, Levallois-Perret, Milan, Moscow,Tokyo,
5. Feller, A.G. & Rudmann, D. (1988). J. of Nutr. LONZA publication. Warsaw,Wuppertal
118: 541. 13. Ravussin, E. et al (1988). N. Engl. J. Med. Note: This document is an overview of published scientific information on L-Carnitine
6. Davis., A.T. et al (1990) J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 318:467. and published scientific information on clinical and nutritional trials with L-Carnitine
9:261. 14. Gross, K.L. et al (1998). J. Animal Sci. 76 and its derivatives.The statements in this document have not been evaluated by any
Food and Drug Administration. No claims are made herein for any particular product
7. Friedman, M.I. et al (1990). Am. J. Physiol. (1): 175. or that any product is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.The
258: 216. 15. Jewell, D. E. and P. W.Toll. (1998). Adapted recommended use for L-Carnitine is as a nutrient or dietary supplement. No state-
8. Sufeng, Z. et al (1997). Acta Nutr. Sin. from "Obesity: Weight Management in Cats ment is intended or should be construed as a recommendation to infringe any
19: 146. and Dogs". Hill’s Pet Nutrition. existing patent.The information contained herein is believed to be correct and
corresponds to the latest state of scientific and technical knowledge.