# L-Carentine anybody?



## SFC JeffJ (Feb 1, 2007)

Does anyone here use this amino acid as a supplement?  

It is supposed to help men turn carbs into muscle.  Not so much for women.

Just curious to know if any of you use it or have tried it as I'm thinking about giving it a shot.

Jeff


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## Bigshadow (Feb 1, 2007)

JeffJ said:


> Does anyone here use this amino acid as a supplement?
> 
> It is supposed to help men turn carbs into muscle.  Not so much for women.
> 
> ...



I have used it, but if I am not mistaken, my label says it is to metabolize protein.  I will double check it when I get to the office.


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## SFC JeffJ (Feb 1, 2007)

Bigshadow said:


> I have used it, but if I am not mistaken, my label says it is to metabolize protein.  I will double check it when I get to the office.


That could be very true, I'm going off what the bood "You-On a Diet" was telling me.


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## Bigshadow (Feb 1, 2007)

JeffJ said:


> That could be very true, I'm going off what the bood "You-On a Diet" was telling me.



I was mistaken.  It is L-Arginine that supports protein metabolism.  I haven't tried it.   Although I may.  I am going to google info on it.


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## SFC JeffJ (Feb 1, 2007)

Oh, I just re-read the info I have on it and it's acually L-Carnitine I'm talking about.

Sorry bout that,

Jeff


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## Carol (Feb 1, 2007)

Sorry guys - nothing turns carbs in to mucsle except exertion.

L-carinitine is one of the amino acids that assist with the metabolism of fat.  I've taken it and found that it can help, when in a vigorous workout cycle.  I've heard some bodybuilders say that it loses its effectiveness with continued use.  From what I've heard from a naturopath, one of the biggest risks of L-carnitine is finding a compound that is stable - it tends to break down (and thus lose effectiveness) rather quickly.

If any of our Canadian friends have any input as to why L-Carnitine is Rx only in Canada, that would be interesting to hear.


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## SFC JeffJ (Feb 1, 2007)

Carol Kaur said:


> Sorry guys - nothing turns carbs in to mucsle except exertion.
> 
> L-carinitine is one of the amino acids that assist with the metabolism of fat.  I've taken it and found that it can help, when in a vigorous workout cycle.  I've heard some bodybuilders say that it loses its effectiveness with continued use.  From what I've heard from a naturopath, one of the biggest risks of L-carnitine is finding a compound that is stable - it tends to break down (and thus lose effectiveness) rather quickly.
> 
> If any of our Canadian friends have any input as to why L-Carnitine is Rx only in Canada, that would be interesting to hear.


That's why I just said helps.  I'm not quite stupid enough to buy into a magic pill.  Beans maybe, pills no!


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## Carol (Feb 1, 2007)

Now...magic beans are OK.  There's an old homeopathic trick about pouring hot water over beans to help improve your memory.






















Us westerners call it "coffee"  - but what a a delightful magic bean it is!


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## Carol (Feb 1, 2007)

JeffJ said:


> That's why I just said helps. I'm not quite stupid enough to buy into a magic pill. Beans maybe, pills no!


 
L-carnitine doesn't work on carbs either, though.  It works on fat, and is only effective once the Krebs (sp?) cycle has started.


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## Bigshadow (Feb 1, 2007)

After doing some quick research, I found,  L-carnitine does effectively reduce symptoms of hyperthyroidism and it does help in the metabolism of fat for muscle use.  However, I suspect as with any of these sorts of things, one still needs to exercise and eat properly.

Another thing,  L-carnitine is produced by the body naturally.  It is not considered essential since the body manufactures it.  High concentrations of L-Carnitine is found in beef and lamb, also found in veggies in smaller amounts.

There are conditions where the body does not synthesize enough and supplemental l-carnitine can be beneficial to heart health and weight loss.

Some of the side effects are:

Increased blood pressure
faster heartbeats
fever
large amounts may cause diarrhea
Some of the benefits:

L-carnitine plays an important role in energy production
It helps in weightloss and fat burner (see next point)
It transports long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondra to metablize to generate energy
Enhance cellular energy in the brain
Improve mental performance
Helps slow the effects of aging
Decerases symptoms of depression
Helps prevent cataracts
Used to support all bodily functions that have a high energy demand
Although it sounds like a sales pitch to me.


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## SFC JeffJ (Feb 1, 2007)

Ok, I had misrememberd exactly what was said in the book, so now I'm going to quote it directly.



> In men, the supplement L-carnitine-at a dose of 3 grams a day-helps muscles use carbohydrates, but it is also good for blood vesselfunction in both men and women.
> "You On a Diet", Michael F. Roizen, MD and Mehmet C. Oz, Md



Sorry bout any confusion I might have caused,

Jeff


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## KempoGuy06 (Feb 7, 2007)

Bigshadow said:


> High concentrations of L-Carnitine is found in beef and lamb, also found in veggies in smaller amounts.


Add this and cheese to your diet and you will get plenty of this.

The amino acids are vital to the body from breaking down fat to muscle growth. Its all about long chains of amino acids apparently, thats why a lot of whey protein supplements have stuff in it that helps with the production of the amino acids. (sorry this is so 'here and there' Im going of memory, which is bad  )

From what Ive been told this is one of those things that can help but is mainly made to make money. 

B


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