L-Carnitine Aids in Leg Circulation

Peripheral arterial disease impairs circulation and can lead to claudication – a sharp leg pain that limits exercise.

In a new study by William Hiatt, M.D. of the University of Colorado Health Services Center in Denver, results indicate that L-carnitine may improve exercise ability in people with poor circulation in their legs.

L-carnitine contributes to energy production within muscle cells, and supplementation increases the energy available to skeletal muscle. The study had155 American and Russian participants aged 40 to 80. Participants were randomly selected to take either 2 g/day L-carnitine or placebo for six months. The participants were tested on a graded treadmill at 2 mph to test their walking ability. The grade began level and increased 2 percent every two minutes until leg pain became intense.

After six months, the 82 who took L-carnitine walked 39 percent longer compared with a 14 percent increase in the placebo group. The participants also filled out a questionnaire about their own perceptions of their walking ability and overall functioning. Those taking the supplement also experienced an increased perception of overall health and vitality. No one reported side effects. It is believed that the supplement may also improve blood vessel integrity.

Excerpted from Nutrition Science News. December 2001. Vol. 6, No 12

From American Journal of Medicine (200;110;616-22.)