Posted by nolvas on August 21, 2009, at 2:47:47
In reply to L-Carnitine vs. ALCAR for the anxiety prone, posted by opiumden on August 20, 2009, at 19:20:08
I've got some background information for you regarding these two compounds :
ALC is generally claimed to be superior in terms of its therapeutic effects compared to its unacetylated sister compound, L-Carnitine:
-Some scientists have recently claimed that there may perhaps be no advantage to taking the (more expensive) ALC form of Carnitine over the more economical unacetylated form of Carnitine (L-Carnitine).
-Dr. Brian Leibovitz (who authored the book Carnitine, Vitamin BT) claims that because the Sigma Tau corporation owns the patents on ALC for pharmaceutical purposes, they have concocted a myth that only ALC is clinically effective in many situations.-Some acknowledged leaders of the life extension movement are presently taking half of their daily ALC dose in the form of L-Carnitine and the other half of their dose in the form of ALC until this debate is settled.
-A recent clinical study compared both forms of Carnitine and found that both increased Brain Carnitine levels by the same amount, both stimulated Brain function by the same extent. However, ALC exerted Antioxidant effects in the Brain, while L-
Carnitine did not exert Antioxidant effects.There is no mention of an anxiolytic effect regarding L-Carnitine from my source (Hyperhealth v6.0)
Animal study (rats) demonstrated that ALC exerted variable effects on anxiety:
olow doses of ALC had no effect on anxiety.
omedium doses of ALC reduced anxiety.
ohigh doses of ALC increased anxiety.This indicates that ALC may have an inverted U-shaped curve effect on anxiety.
Levine, J., et al. Effect of intraperitoneal acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR) on anxiety-like behaviours in rats. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 1-10, 2004.
In general there's limited studies indicating that either supplement is effective for treating anxiety. I've seen far better studies on other supplements regarding anxiety. I'm not convinced Carnitine in any form is an effective treatment for anxiety. Your mileage may vary as they say, the only way is to try.
poster:nolvas
thread:913211
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20090727/msgs/913280.html