Although the main dietary source of carnitine is meat,[1][2] people who follow a strict plant-based diet typically do not have a higher risk of carnitine deficiency because sufficient amounts of carnitine can be synthesized in the body from other amino acids (e.g., lysine and methionine).[3][4]
In rare cases, carnitine deficiency can occur in children with inborn errors of metabolism (i.e., genetic defects affecting metabolic function) in carnitine biosynthetic or carnitine transport pathways.[5][6] Carnitine deficiency can also be caused by some drugs, including pivalic-acid-containing antibiotics and valproic acid, and it can occur in response to dialysis in people with chronic kidney disease.[5][6] In such cases, supplementation with carnitine is sometimes used to help treat the symptoms, but high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm its efficacy.[7][5][6]
References
- ^Demarquoy J et al.Radioisotopic determination of l-carnitine content in foods commonly eaten in Western countries.Food Chemistry.(2004)
- ^Seline K-G et al.The determination of l-carnitine in several food samples.Food Chemistry.(2007)
- ^Reuter SE, Evans AMCarnitine and acylcarnitines: pharmacokinetic, pharmacological and clinical aspects.Clin Pharmacokinet.(2012-Sep-01)
- ^Pekala J, Patkowska-Sokoła B, Bodkowski R, Jamroz D, Nowakowski P, Lochyński S, Librowski TL-carnitine--metabolic functions and meaning in humans lifeCurr Drug Metab.(2011 Sep)
- ^Almannai M, Alfadhel M, El-Hattab AWCarnitine Inborn Errors of Metabolism.Molecules.(2019-Sep-06)
- ^Stanley CACarnitine deficiency disorders in children.Ann N Y Acad Sci.(2004-Nov)
- ^Nasser M, Javaheri H, Fedorowicz Z, Noorani ZCarnitine supplementation for inborn errors of metabolism.Cochrane Database Syst Rev.(2012-Feb-15)