Cha Youn-Soo
Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Chonbuk National University, 664-14 Duckjin-dong 1-ga, Jeonju, Jeonbuk, 561-756, South Korea.
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008;17 Suppl 1:306-8.
Data on the functionalities of L-carnitine on obesity, diabetes, and as an ergogenic aid are summarized as follows: Obesity: Total lipid, triglyceride, and total protein increased during the 3T3-L1 cell differentiation. However, nonesterified carnitine (NEC), acid-soluble acylcarnitine (ASAC), and acid-insoluble acylcarnitine (AIAC) concentrations were lower in the differentiated 3T3-L1 cells. In addition, the exogenously added carnitine inhibited the increases in triglyceride and total lipid levels. In an animal study, L-carnitine supplementation reduced serum leptin and abdominal fat weight caused by high-fat diet in C57BL/6J mice. Diabetes: In an animal study, streptozptpcin-induced diabetic rats had markedly lower IGFBP-3 than normal rats, and IGFBP-3 was increased by L-carnitine treatment, demonstrating that L-carnitine treatment of diabetic rats modulates the IGFs/IGFBPs axis. A study of Korean diabetics indicated that there is a remarkable abnormality in lipid and carnitine metabolism in Korean diabetic patients. Ergogenic aids: We investigated the separate and combined effects of L-carnitine and antioxidant supplementation on carnitine and lipid concentrations in trained and non-trained animal and humans. Supplementation of L-carnitine and antioxidants improve lipid profiles and exercise ability in exercise-trained rats. Also, both exercise training and supplementation of carnitine and antioxidants improved lipid profiles and carnitine metabolism in humans, suggesting that carnitine and antioxidant supplementation may improve exercise performance.
左旋肉碱在肥胖、糖尿病及作为一种促力补剂方面的功能数据总结如下：肥胖：在3T3-L1细胞分化过程中，总脂质、甘油三酯和总蛋白增加。然而，分化后的3T3-L1细胞中非酯化肉碱（NEC）、酸溶性酰基肉碱（ASAC）和酸不溶性酰基肉碱（AIAC）的浓度较低。此外，外源添加的肉碱抑制了甘油三酯和总脂质水平的升高。在一项动物研究中，补充左旋肉碱降低了C57BL/6J小鼠高脂饮食引起的血清瘦素和腹部脂肪重量。糖尿病：在一项动物研究中，链脲佐菌素诱导的糖尿病大鼠的胰岛素样生长因子结合蛋白-3（IGFBP-3）明显低于正常大鼠，左旋肉碱治疗可使IGFBP-3升高，表明左旋肉碱治疗糖尿病大鼠可调节IGF/IGFBP轴。一项针对韩国糖尿病患者的研究表明，韩国糖尿病患者在脂质和肉碱代谢方面存在显著异常。促力补剂：我们研究了左旋肉碱和抗氧化剂补充剂分别及联合使用对训练和未训练的动物及人类体内肉碱和脂质浓度的影响。补充左旋肉碱和抗氧化剂可改善运动训练大鼠的脂质谱和运动能力。此外，运动训练以及补充肉碱和抗氧化剂均可改善人类的脂质谱和肉碱代谢，这表明补充肉碱和抗氧化剂可能会提高运动表现。
