Metabolic & Weight Management

L-Carnitine

A mitochondrial transport nutrient for fat-oxidation and endurance research.

Last updated 12 August 2026

Studied forFat oxidation · Endurance support · Muscle recovery

Evidence on file4 randomised human trials · 2 human observational studies · 2 animal studies · 2 citations not yet graded

Strongest sourceNCT00775645: S0715: Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial of Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC) for the Prevention of Tax… (randomised human trial)

Mechanism

Supports fatty-acid transport into mitochondria through the carnitine shuttle.

Reported effects

What sources associate with this compound. Reported categories, not outcomes we have graded — each would need its own citation and rung.

Fat oxidation
Endurance support
Muscle recovery

Dosing on file unverified

200-500 mg daily, cycled 4–12 weeks

Carried from a source that labels it unverified, and reproduced with that label attached. A record of what is reported, not a recommendation. No citation on this page establishes it.

Literature on file 10

human observational
Impact of L-carnitine supplementation on lipid profile parameters in overweight and obese women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. graded on: a synthesis of human studies — “systematic review”
animal in vivo
L-Carnitine Improves Visceral Hypersensitivity and Colonic Hyperpermeability in a Rat Model of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. graded on: an animal model — “Rat”
animal in vivo
Antioxidant Effects of Vitamin E and L-Carnitine on Hippocampal Histology, Epigenetics, and Cognition in Morphine-Exposed Mice. graded on: an animal model — “Mice”
human RCT
NCT00775645: S0715: Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial of Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC) for the Prevention of Taxane Induced Neuropathy Phase III graded on: a randomised trial — “Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial”
human RCT
NCT01107730: Randomized Double Blind Study of Administration of Vitamin C for Prophylaxis of Post-operative Atrial Fibrillation in On-pump Cardiac Surgery Procedures graded on: a randomised study — “Randomized Double Blind Study”
human RCT
NCT01783041: A Double-Blind, Controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial of the Effect of Early L-Carnitine Supplementation on Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Very Preterm Infants graded on: names a randomised controlled trial — “Randomized Clinical Trial”
human observational
NCT00822172: Evaluation of Cilostazol in Combination With L-Carnitine in Subjects With Intermittent Claudication graded on: a registered clinical study — “clinicaltrials.gov”
human RCT
NCT01695317: Effect of Acetyl-L-carnitine in Migraine - a Randomized, Double-blind Placebo Controlled Study graded on: a randomised study — “Randomized, Double-blind Placebo Controlled Study”

Not graded

2 citations whose study design could not be read from the title. Left ungraded rather than guessed at.

Identity

Space-filling 3D model of L-Carnitine, carbon grey, nitrogen blue, oxygen red — Built from the SMILES on this record — the atoms, bonds and stereochemistry are exact. The shape is **one computed low-energy pose**, not a measured structure: a flexible peptide in solution has no single conformation. The skeletal formula below claims connectivity and nothing more, which is what we actually know.

2D chemical structure of L-Carnitine — Built from the SMILES on this record — the atoms, bonds and stereochemistry are exact. The shape is **one computed low-energy pose**, not a measured structure: a flexible peptide in solution has no single conformation. The skeletal formula below claims connectivity and nothing more, which is what we actually know.

Molecular weight: 161.20
Molecular formula: C7H15NO3
CAS number: 541-15-1
PubChem CID: 10917
InChI key: PHIQHXFUZVPYII-ZCFIWIBFSA-N
SMILES: C[N+](C)(C)C[C@@H](CC(=O)[O-])O
InChI: InChI=1S/C7H15NO3/c1-8(2,3)5-6(9)4-7(10)11/h6,9H,4-5H2,1-3H3/t6-/m1/s1

Classified as

Lipolysis Stimulationmechanism: This mechanism is the source of the most common category error on the site. A record can be well supported for lipolysis and carry nothing at all for fat loss, and the two live in different fields with different rungs on the ladder at /evidence/rubric.
Mitochondrial Functionpathway: The phrase appears in a great deal of product copy but is measured very differently across studies, from oxygen consumption in cultured cells to exercise capacity in a person, and the rung a claim earns usually depends on which was actually done.

Also called

L-Carnitine

Not on file 1

1 of the 8 fields we track hold nothing on this record, and each says why. A blank field is a bug; a named absence is a finding.

amino-acid sequenceno source on file holds this

Each field links to every other record missing the same thing. The full ledger holds 521 gaps across 136 records.

Listed prices 1

What 1 shop we track listed for L-Carnitine, read from their own public catalogues on 2026-08-12. We take no commission on these and they are not ranked by any payment — how vendors are scored.

Listed in CAD
Vendor	Size	Price	Per mg
NCRP Canada	size not listed	$30.00 CAD	—

Prices are the vendor's own listing, reproduced with the date we read it — never converted between currencies, and compared per milligram only where the vendor states the vial size.