Supplement Mania Online

Carnitine Supplements

Carnitine is a natural substance-a metabolite, or product of metabolism-that occurs in all living cells. Because the body produces it, it is not considered an essential nutrient and cannot be classified as a vitamin. Carnitine is not quite an amino acid either, although you may see it referred to as such in some magazine articles and promotional literature. From a chemist's point of view, carnitine is classified as a quaternary amine. But you only need to know that carnitine is a metabolite-a substance produced by your body.

Certain metabolites, such as carnitine, have been shown to have beneficial effects on the human body when ingested from dietary sources and in the form of supplements. Some health-care practitioners characterize carnitine as vitamin-like because it is an essential growth factor (required for growth) in infants. For adult humans, carnitine is considered to be a health-enhancing substance that falls into the semi-essential category-meaning that it plays an important role in optimum health and longevity but it is not absolutely necessary to supplement with this substance for survival.


TOP