Supplement burns muscle fat, improves exercise performance

A new study has shown for the first time that taking a particular food supplement increases muscle carnitine content and reduces muscle carbohydrate use, while increasing fat used for energy production during exercise. Researchers at The University of Nottingham's School of Biomedical Sciences found that recreational athletes who took a dietary supplement containing L-carnitine — a nutrient found in common food sources — combined with carbohydrates showed several metabolism benefits during low- and high-intensity exercise and improved exercise performance. Professor Paul Greenhaff, Professor of Muscle Metabolism at Nottingham and lead author of the research, said: "This is the first study in healthy humans showing that muscle L-carnitine content can be influenced by dietary means, and that L-carnitine plays a dual role in skeletal muscle fuel metabolism during exercise that is dependent on exercise intensity." Previous studies indicated human muscle does not respond to dietary L-carnitine supplements. This new research shows that taking an L-carnitine and carbohydrate supplement alters muscle fuel use, reduces lactic-acid build-up (which causes fatigue) and improves exercise performance. L-carnitine plays a critical part in energy metabolism. It shuttles long-chain fatty acids into the cells' mitochondria where they are broken down for energy generation, as well as maintaining muscle carbohydrate oxidation and offsetting lactate production during intense exercise.