Weight Problem Solution in a Bottle

by Patrick Daza 071010

Imagine yourself jogging early in the morning, when the sun rays are still tolerable and not yet harmful to the skin. You have jogged for a couple of kilometers, proud of all the sweat that have poured from your body. Fatigue is now creeping up to you, but you still decide to run for a couple more kilometers. You have done a great job so far in your new dietary regime, you ate only healthy food and stayed away from those greasy, convenient fast food. You never failed to do any of your exercises and you feel that you are coming close to that perfectly shaped body that you desire. You have achieved your planned distance for the day and you stop by the convenience store to quench your thirst. You scan the available beverage on the freezer; aside from bottled water, most of the beverage would ruin your diet. As you are about to pick up a bottle of water, you notice the label of one of the refreshments. On the label says it can help you lose weight, as you examine it more closely, you see that it contains L-carnitine. You decide to try it out and see for yourself whether its claims are true...  

What is L-carnitine?

L-carnitine is a naturally occuring compound that can be synthesized in mammals from the essential amino acids lysine and methionione; or it can also be ingested through diet, as in the case of several beverages that contain this compound. It is a quaternary amine, β-hydroxy-γ-N-trimethyammonium butyric acid, with a molecular weight of 162.1. When it is synthesized, it occurs as both D and L isomers, but only L-carnitine is physiologically active in the body. This compound is primarily stored in skeletal muscles, yet some can also be found in the plasma but in much lower concentrations (Kramer, Volek & Dunn-Lewis, 2008).

 

One of its main functions in the body is to help the transport of long-chain fatty acids across outer (carnitine palmitolytransferase I) and inner mitochondrial membranes (carnitine palmitolytransferase II). It also helps in facilitating lipid oxidation, by transporting long-chain fatty acids into the inner mitochondria where the fatty acids undergo β-oxidation. Fatty-acids have the potential to produce energy, but in order to do so, they must be changed into acylCoAs before β-oxidation, The problem is acylCoAs cannot cross cell walls, carnitine is responsible for this job. Carnitine is absorbed in the small intestinal mucuosa by sodium-dependent transport and passive transport. In the blood however, it doesn't need a protein for a carrier because it's present in the free or acylcarnitine form. Without this compound, dietary lipids cannot be tapped as energy source causing the body to accumulate fatty-acids that results to weight gain and obesity. (Cham, 2008).

Skeletal Structure of L-carnitine

Rise to Popularity

Because of the strong influence of media in society, the public perception of self-image has drastically changed; now, people are so concerned about maintaining an image according to the standards of media. Media has made the public overly conscious of their appearance, especially when it comes to body weight. Before, only women seems to be affected this development, but males soon followed the trend. It also doesn't help that obesity is such a big issue, a prevalent condition in society today. The number of people who are obese just keep getting higher and higher; that's why the demand for dietary supplements that aid in weight loss went up (Saper, Eisenberg & Phillips, 2004). These supplements are popular because it offers people a way to lose weight without resorting to a special diet and an increased physical activity achieved through exercise. 

 

Some reasons why dietary supplements are in demand

Now, people have a vast option to choose from when it comes to dietary supplements that could facilitate weight loss. In one article (Saper, et. al., 2004), more than 50 dietary supplements and 125 proprietary products were found out to be listed in the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, as commonly used for weight loss; the number could have increased by now.

Some common dietary supplements used for weight loss

But how does it work?

L-carnitine can be administered orally or intraveneously, and then absorbed in the jejenum through simple difusion. It is transported into the cellular tissue via an active transport mechanism, where plasma concentrations of acetyl-L-carnitine and l-carnitine reach an equilibrium, through the carnitine acetyl-transferase activity. In the mitochondria, ALC stabilizes cell membrane fluidity via regulation of sphingomyelin levels, and provides substrate reservoir for cellular energy production, thus preventing excessive neuronal cell death. Then L-carnitine and its esters undergo metabolism, and then subsequently excreted in the urine via renal tubular reabsorption (Monograph, 1999).

Other uses of L-carnitine


Aside from weight loss, L-carnitine can also be used to treat several diseases (Monograph, 1999). Several studies found out that acetyl-l-carnitine improves the cognitive performance of patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Performance in spacial learning tasks, timed tasks of attention, discrimination-learning tasks, and tasks of personal recognition increased when patients were treated by this compound. This compound could also aid in combating depression; administration of this compound inhibits hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical activity, which is mainly responsible for depression. Infertility can also be treated by this compound. Carnitine can increase sperm motility in infertile men with asthenozoospermia. Patient's sperm concentration increased, as facilitated by this compound.




Reference

Cham, Y.S. (2008). Effects of L-carnitine on obesity, diabetes, and as an ergogenic aid. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 17 (1), 306-308.

Kraemer, W.J., Volek, J.S. & Dunn-Lewis, C. (2008). L-carnitine supplementation supplementation: Influence upon physiological function. Curr. Sports Med. Rep., 7 (4), 218-223.

L-carnitine Side Effects You Must Know About. Retrieved October 8, 2010, from http://www.nutritional-supplements-health-guide.com/l-carnitine-side-effects.html.

Monograph: Acetyl-L-Canitine. (1999). Alternate Medicine Review, 4 (6), 438-441

Saper, R.B., Eisenberg, D.M. & Phillips, R.S. (2004). Common dietary supplements for weight loss. American Academy of Family Physicians, 70 (9), 1731-1738.
University of Maryland Medical Center. (2010). Carnitine (L-carnitine). Retrieved October 8, 2010, from the UMCC Web site: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/carnitine-l-000291.htm.