A total of 1,340 participants were evaluated. L-carnitine was administered either orally or intravenously. The dosage generally ranged from an absolute dose of 0.5 to 3 grams per day or a relative dose of 10 to 20 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day. The intervention duration was 5 to 48 weeks.

The outcomes assessed were total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, VLDL-C, triglycerides, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and BMI.

Eleven studies had a high risk of bias, 8 studies had a low risk of bias, and the rest had some concerns.

Does L-carnitine improve cardiovascular disease risk factors in hemodialysis patients? Original paper