Exploring if Carnitine is an Effective Ergogenic Aid

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EXPLORING IF CARNITINE IS AN EFFECTIVE ERGOGENIC AID
Exploring if carnitine is an effective ergogenic aid
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EXPLORING IF CARNITINE IS AN EFFECTIVE ERGOGENIC AID
Carnitine is a quaternary ammonium compound that aids in the functioning of pivotal
metabolic activities in certain groups of animals most prominently in mammals, some bacteria,
and plants. Carnitine exists in two kinds of isomers which labeled L-Carnitine and D-Carnitine
(Higgins et al 2010, p. 842) and they are optically proofed to be active. At normal temperature,
carnitine is a white powder and partly soluble to water. This ammonium compound is derived
from amino acids which are a constituent component profoundly to all living organisms
especially vertebrates and animal muscle tissues (Burke 2005, p.98). Carnitine depicts as a
generic expression for a substantial number of amalgam that includes propionyl carnitine, and L-
Carnitine. Carnitine is accumulated profoundly in skeletal muscles and cardiac muscles of most
vertebrates and it is proven to account for approximately 0.2% of its dry matter.
The body of vertebrates demands a high level of energy production and its transportation
across all the organs and tissues to aid the body to function normally and carry out its metabolic
functions in order to continue thriving. To keep up with the demand for energy production, the
body synthesis enough ammonium compound (carnitine) from the lysine side chains (Kreideret
al 2010, p. 8). Then the carnitine acts transporting agent to supply long-chain fatty acid into the
mitochondria to be synthesized to energy. Also, some organisms with genetic disorders cannot
synthesize enough, therefore aggravating carnitine a conditionally pivotal compound for them.
Carnitine is concerned with transporting fatty acids across the membrane of
mitochondrion by forming acetylcarnitine ester and finally being transported by
palmitoyltransferase (McClung and Collins 2007, p. 281). Apart from being synthesized from
lysine derivative, carnitine can also be obtained from milk and meat. Carnitine plays an essential
for athletes (Molinero and Marquez 2009, p. 23).

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EXPLORING IF CARNITINE IS AN EFFECTIVE ERGOGENIC AID
According to "International Society of Sports and Nutrition" an ergogenic aid is any
nutritional practices, psychological or training technique, mechanical device or even
pharmacological agent that can boost in exercise performance capability and enhances physical
strength (Liddle et al 2013, p. 421). These commutatively help individuals to exercise, foster
exercise efficiency, recovery and adapt to the rigors of active training (Byrd et al 2012, p. 185).
In particular, ergogenic aid is any substance, nutrition, or training techniques that enhance energy
production and supply to body muscles, use of it, recovery and to gain athletes with a
competitive advantage.
There have been controversies whether carnitine is an effective ergogenic aid that will
provide a competitive advantage to the athletes (Rodenberg and Gustafson 2007, p. 255). For
instance, majority of athletes scramble to identify whether carnitine is an effective aid and if so
what are the recommended category of food rich in carnitine they should take or alternatively
what nutritional practices they should observe. Additionally, most athletes rely on hearsay as a
standard for determining whether an ergogenic aid is effective and save. In fact, they strive to try
nearly anything to produce that competitive advantage.
Moreover, some sources of carnitine are not effective for ergogenic aid while others are
to some extent effective for ergogenic aids. Most prominently, it will depend upon the activity
one is engaging and the kind of life one is leading since it may yield adversarial effects in the
long-run to the individual. Other examples of ergogenic aids may include caffeine, Chromium,
creatine, , branched-chain amino acids, blood doping, and steroids,(Buford et al 2007, p. 65).
Most importantly, carnitine is proved to be safe only at recommended doses; however, it is not
effective ergogenic aid. Carnitine is a kind of amino acid synthesized by the body to aid in