Nutraceuticals and nootropics for anti-aging

Acetyl-L-carnitine for learning enhancement, chronic fatigue, and fibromyalgia

Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) is a biochemical substance made and used by all organisms except bacteria to assist in the extraction of energy from fats.¹ In recent years ALC has been getting lots of attention as an anti-aging supplement, and even more recently as a cognitive enhancer and Alzheimer’s treatment.² ALC is usually taken with a second supplement, alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), in order to suppress free radical damage.²

A news story in the September 2007 Science Daily reported on experiments conducted at Oregon State University. It was found that when beagle dogs were given a combination of ALC and ALA, their ability to learn a new task was significantly enhanced.³ The dogs were given the supplements twice daily for approximately 2 months.⁴

In other ALC news, researchers at the Università degli Studi di Catania have reported on the use of ALC as a treatment for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). From a study of 96 patients they concluded that “Our data show that administering ALC may reduce both physical and mental fatigue in elderly and improves both the cognitive status and physical functions.”⁵

Another study, this one in fibromyalgia patients, used 3 capsules daily containing either 500 mg ALC or placebo, for 8 weeks. (The study was marred by an initial intramuscular injection of ALC, and will need to be repeated without this undesirable complication.) The researchers report that “A statistically significant between-group difference was observed for depression and musculo-skeletal pain. Significantly larger improvements in SF36 questionnaire were observed in [the ALC group] than in placebo group for most parameters. Treatment was well-tolerated.”⁶

References

[1]  About Acetyl-L-Carnitine LifeLink website

[2]  LifeLink website; 2007.Sep.26

[3]  You Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks -- With The Right Diet Science Daily website, 2007.09.27

[4]  Acetyl-L-carnitine and α-lipoic acid supplementation of aged beagle dogs improves learning in two landmark discrimination tests. FASEB J. 2007 Jul 10;

[5]  Acetyl l-carnitine (ALC) treatment in elderly patients with fatigue. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2007 Jul 19;

[6]  Double-blind, multicenter trial comparing acetyl l-carnitine with placebo in the treatment of fibromyalgia patients. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2007 Mar-Apr; 25(2):182-8

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LifeLink carries acetyl-L-carnitine in 500 mg capsules.