Ten trained men took 2 g of L-carnitine a day for three weeks and a matching placebo for three weeks, then performed a high repetition squat session in each arm. Blood markers of muscle damage and oxidative stress rose less after the session on carnitine. MRI scans showed less muscle disruption and the men rated their soreness lower on days 1, 2 and 4 of recovery.
Carnitine carries long chain fatty acids into the mitochondria, where fat is burned for energy. One earlier trial reported that carnitine reduced soreness and creatine kinase, a marker of muscle damage, after hard eccentric exercise, but offered no mechanism. This team tested a specific idea: that carnitine acts on the cells lining blood vessels, improving oxygen delivery to working muscle, and that this reduces the cascade of damage after exercise.
Ten healthy, recreationally weight trained men took part, mean age 23.7 years and mean weight 78.7 kg.
The design was a balanced, double blind, placebo controlled crossover. Each man took L carnitine L tartrate supplying 2 g of L carnitine per day, or a cellulose placebo, for three weeks, then after a one week washout repeated everything on the other treatment.
Blood was drawn on six consecutive mornings. On day two the men did five sets of 15 to 20 squat repetitions at 50% of their one repetition maximum, with blood taken before and at 0, 15, 30, 120 and 180 minutes after. Mid thigh muscle damage was measured by MRI before exercise and on days three and six, and soreness was rated on a 10 cm scale.
On MRI, disrupted muscle area was 23 plus or minus 8 percent on day three and 16 plus or minus 5 percent on day six with carnitine, against 39 plus or minus 5 percent and 29 plus or minus 6 percent on placebo.
Markers of purine breakdown, hypoxanthine, xanthine oxidase and uric acid, all rose less on carnitine (p less than or equal to 0.05). Malondialdehyde, a marker of free radical damage to cell membranes, returned to resting levels 15 minutes after exercise on carnitine but stayed raised past 180 minutes and through 24 hours on placebo.
Creatine kinase did not rise significantly at any point on carnitine. On placebo it climbed above baseline two days after exercise and kept rising. Soreness was 4.2 against 5.8 on day one, 4.9 against 5.5 on day two and 1.0 against 1.8 on day four, all significantly lower on carnitine. On day three the pattern reversed, 3.1 on carnitine against 2.1 on placebo. Blood lactate exceeded 10 mmol/l on both treatments with no difference, so the men worked equally hard.
This is a study of ten men, so single individuals carry heavy weight in the averages. All were young, trained and male, and nothing here extends to women, older people or untrained people.
The study was funded by a grant from Lonza Inc. of Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Lonza makes the branded L carnitine L tartrate used in the trial. One of the six authors, Paula Gaynor, was employed by Lonza. The paper carries no separate competing interests declaration.
The authors are candid about their central weakness. Their hypothesis concerned blood vessel function, yet they measured neither carnitine in endothelial cells nor local blood flow, and they say so. The mechanism stays an inference.
This is early mechanistic work in a small group. In ten trained young men, three weeks of 2 g of L carnitine per day was followed by less blood and MRI evidence of muscle disruption and lower soreness on three of the four days after one squat session.
It does not show improved performance. It does not show that lower damage markers translate into better training results, because that was never tested, and it does not establish the proposed mechanism. A crossover in ten people is a starting point, not a settled answer.
That depends on the specific medication and formula. A few, like blood thinners with CurQLife or blood pressure medication with MaxiNOs, are worth a direct conversation with your doctor first. Check each formula's own FAQ section for specifics, or ask your health coach.
No, and we'd rather be upfront about it. Bacopa, the plant in BacoZest, has published human studies, though they used other bacopa extracts. OptiNOs and MaxiNOs each have human studies sponsored by their maker, Laila Nutraceuticals, which haven't been published in a journal. CurQLife's research is still early, from lab and animal studies, and we label it that way.
It depends on what you're building your routine around. BacoZest is built around bacopa, which is studied for memory.* OptiNOs supports strength and muscular endurance alongside resistance training.* MaxiNOs was studied for healthy blood vessel function.* CurQLife's research is still at the lab stage. Your health coach can help you pick a starting point.
All four are built around plant extracts. OptiNOs was reported as well tolerated in its human study, and published bacopa studies reported no serious side effects. CurQLife's safety data so far comes from lab and animal testing. Check with your doctor first if you're pregnant, nursing, on medication, or managing a health condition.
Because the patented ingredients behind our four formulas went through dedicated research, and research costs real money. A generic curcumin or bacopa supplement hasn't been tested in the form you get from us. You're paying for an ingredient with research behind it, not just a label.
Generic ingredients often haven't been studied in the specific form you're buying. Our four core formulas use patented ingredients, and we show you the research behind each one, including where it's still early.
It depends on the formula. In its study, MaxiNOs blood vessel response was higher than placebo 2 to 3 hours after the first dose.* OptiNOs and bacopa were studied over 6 and 12 weeks of daily use, so give them time. CurQLife is meant to be taken daily.
Yes. BacoZest, OptiNOs, MaxiNOs, and CurQLife are built for different goals, and none of them contain stimulants. They haven't been studied together, so ask your health coach how to fit them into your routine.
