How does L-carnitine work?

It’s not entirely clear how L-carnitine works. In tissues like muscle, L-carnitine is known to help “shuttle” long-chain fatty acids into mitochondria to produce energy.^[1][2] Further evidence suggests that it may exert some of its potential beneficial effects by boosting antioxidant capacity, protecting cellular membranes from oxidative stress, reducing inflammation, and increasing nitric oxide levels.^[3][4][2][1] Therefore, L-carnitine may work via several mechanisms, and further research is needed for a full understanding.