L-carnitine is a naturally occurring compound found in high concentrations in muscle tissue. One of the main physiological functions of carnitine is to transport fatty acids into the mitochondria for oxidation. However, carnitine may have a number of other functions that makes it a useful supplement for resistance trainers. For example, in one study, researchers administered 2 grams of L-carnitine per day to healthy males who underwent a resistance training programme including the leg squat. As expected exercise induced significant increases in testosterone, insulin-like growth factor-I, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), and immuno-functional and immunoreactive growth hormone (GHif and GHir). Between exercise bouts, the L-carnitine was able to reduce the muscle tissue damage, and before, during and after exercise also caused an increase in IGFBP-3. This suggests that the L-carnitine may improve exercise performance by decreasing the negative tissue damaging effects of exercise.
Eat Well, Stay Healthy, Protect Yourself
RdB
