Carnitine in muscle, serum, and urine of nonprofessional athletes: effects of physical exercise, training, and L-carnitine administration.

Efficient utilization of fatty acids to sustain prolonged physical efforts is thought to be dependent on the carnitine shuttle of muscle. A study has been carried out in 24 athletes (13 long-distance runners and 11 sprinters). These subjects received placebo or L-carnitine (1 g/orally b.i.d.) during a 6-month period of training. In endurance athletes, training induced lowering of total and free muscle carnitine. Increase of esterified muscle carnitine was also observed. Post-exertional overflow of acetylcarnitine and long-chain acylcarnitine, as well as reduction of the free fraction was also noticed in the blood. Fasting plasma carnitine levels, however, were not affected in carnitine-treated athletes at rest. These changes were likely related with the significantly increased urinary excretion of esterified and total carnitine which occurred after physical exercise. In the sprinters only, a decrease in free and total carnitine of muscle was detected after training. Both these potentially unfavorable effects were prevented by oral administration of L-carnitine. Our data suggest that training in endurance athletes, and to a lesser extent, in sprinters, is associated with a decrease in free and total carnitine of muscle, due to an increased overflow of short-chain carnitine esters in urine.