Decrease in respiratory quotient during exercise following L-carnitine supplementation

This study was undertaken to determine the effects of L-carnitine addition to the diet during submaximal exercise in endurance-trained humans. Ten subjects (VO2max: 62 ml.kg-1.min-1) performed a control test (C) (45 min of cycling at 66% of VO2max) followed by 60 min of recovery in a sitting position. Each subject repeated this trial after 28 days of placebo (P) and L-carnitine (L-C) treatment (double-blinded cross-over design). The dose of each treatment was 2 g/day. There were no differences between the C and P tests. The respiratory quotient was lower (p less than 0.05) with treatment than with P or C during exercise. In addition, oxygen uptake, heart rate, blood glycerol, and resting plasma free fatty acid concentrations presented a nonsignificant trend toward higher values in L-C than in the C or P groups. These observations suggest an increased lipid utilization by muscle during exercise in the L-C-treated group. This effect has further possibilities for improving performance during submaximal exercise.