How Effective is Acetyl L-Carnitine for Weight Loss?

The supplement Acetyl L-Carnitine has gained a reputation for improving cognitive ability, perking up your energy level, and boosting athletic performance.

But there is also a lot of interest in using this nootropic to lose weight and burn fat.

Acetyl L-Carnitine is known to promote the uptake of fatty acids into your cell mitochondria so that you get more of your energy by burning stored fats.

As a dietary supplement, it has been popular in the weight lifting and recreational sports community for a number of years.

Does Acetyl L-Carnitine really work for weight loss and what are some of the other properties of this compound?

Acetyl L-Carnitine

Natural Nootropic

Mental Energy

Brain Function

Memory

How It Works:

• Increases mental energy & focus
• Promotes neuron health & anti-aging
• Improves memory, alertness & signalling

Dosage:

Between 500 - 2,500 per day

Safety:

Rated Likely Safe

Top ALCAR Products* ❯

View User Ratings* ❯

How ALCAR Works

Acetyl L-Carnitine (shortened as ALCAR) is a naturally occurring amino acid that is formed from other amino acids Lysine and Methionine.

It is acetylated form of L-Carnitine, which gives it a number of different properties and benefits when compared to its parent.

ALCAR is considered a more potent alternative to L-Carnitine, as it has greater bioavailability and a broader range of activity in the body.

As a source of acetate, ALCAR can be used in the production of the neurotransmitter Acetylcholine that is used in cognitive processing and memory storage.

Acetyl L-Carnitine (and other forms of Carnitine) are vital for energy metabolism and help to transport lipids to the cells so that they can be burned to produce ATP.

This process whereby fat is converted into energy is known as oxidation. Biomarkers of oxidation have been shown to be increased after taking Acetyl L-Carnitine supplements, resulting in the theory that using this supplement will enhance weight loss.

There are additional mechanisms of action for ALCAR as a nootropic supplement and a powerful antioxidant. It is one of a few compounds that can easily cross over the blood-brain barrier, thereby influencing energy metabolism in brain cells.

L-Carnitine is known to have poor penetration of this barrier and therefore does not have a noticeable effect on the production of ATP in neurons. When neurons have an increase in energy supply, it can result in heightened mental vigilance, alertness and ability to focus.

Acetyl L-Carnitine also combines with choline to act as a precursor to Acetylcholine. This neurotransmitter is involved in several mental processes like memory formation (especially short term and spatial memories), attention, creative thought, logical analysis, and even dreaming. Furthermore, Acetylcholine is the main neurotransmitter that is active at the neuromuscular junction and plays a role in controlling muscle movements.

ALCAR also works as one of the best brain antioxidants. One of the ways in which this activity unfolds is by reducing elements of oxidative stress, especially protein oxidation. This supplement is also thought to reduce levels of excitability and toxicity within the brain including the incidence of cell death after exposure to certain toxins.

Main Benefits Of ALCAR

Before touching on using Acetyl L-Carnitine for weight loss, let’s first take a look at some of the more common uses of this compound. Two of the main uses for ALCAR are as a cognitive enhancer and to protect and improve overall brain health.

This supplement is observed to limit the damage of oxidative stress on the brain as well as reducing or even restoring damage that may have been caused by other toxins like alcohol. ALCAR has also been demonstrated to support the removal of lipofuscin from brain cells.

When lipofuscin (fat-based waste residue) builds up in your neurons, it can impair signaling between cells and even lead to premature cell death. Acetyl L-Carnitine helps to transport these lipid deposits out of your brain cells and can contribute to a marked reduction in the appearance of lipofuscin in brain cells. This can improve cellular functioning and slow down brain aging.

Acetyl L-Carnitine is also taken to promote heightened levels of cognitive ability and better learning capacity. Users say that it helps them develop better memory recall and makes their thoughts seem clearer. It can help you to focus intensely when studying or at work and even contribute to enhanced mental drive.

You will often see ALCAR stacked with choline as a memory supplement or as an ingredient in various nootropic stacks or energy drinks. Better alertness, attentiveness, and perception may also result.

The Natural Medicines database has rated ALCAR as Possibly Effective for improving age-related cognitive impair, general cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and neuropathy. Research on the neuronal effects of Acetyl L Carnitine is promising, and the supplement is already widely used for its nootropic effects. However, at this time, the FDA has not approved ALCAR as a drug to prevent or treat any conditions.

Using Acetyl L Carnitine for Weight Loss

Why do people use Acetyl L-Carnitine for weight loss and does it actually work?

This supplement is known to promote fat burning without causing muscle wasting, making it ideal for athletes and bodybuilders.

ALCAR can modestly boost your ability to burn fat because it helps to transport free fatty acids into the mitochondria within the cells of the body. These mitochondria are also known as the power plants or power houses of human cells for good reason.

The mitochondria use a process known as oxidation to break down fat and fatty acids. This makes it easy to then convert the fats into energy molecules known as ATP.

Technically, this is the main role of ALCAR as a weight loss supplement: to force more fatty acids into the mitochondria in order for them to be burned off and used as energy. These fats are typically not taken up on their own unless a Carnitine is available to aid in their transportation.

As you might expect, this can help you to satisfy more of your energy needs from stored fat deposits as opposed to glucose. The result is a slight increase in your lipid metabolism and ability to lose weight.

It is for precisely this reason that ALCAR is now a very common ingredient in a number of the leading weight loss supplements on the market today.

While the theory behind using ALCAR for weight loss is promising, scientific research studies using ALCAR for weight loss are limited, and at this time, the FDA has not approved Acetyl L Carnitine as a drug for weight loss.

ALCAR Weight Loss Dosage

It is always recommended that you speak with your doctor before beginning any new supplements to determine the best dosage for your personal needs, and determine if the supplement will negatively interact with any existing supplements or medications you are taking.

Generally, it is advised to take ACLAR at a dosage somewhere between 500 and 1,500 mg per day. However, when engaged in a weight loss program it is more common to take 2000 mg to 3000 mg of Acetyl L-Carnitine powder per day.

These doses work for most people, but you will likely need to conduct your own trial and error process to determine your most effective dose. First start out by using a lower dose to gauge your tolerance.

While usage of ALCAR at appropriate dosages is considered Likely Safe by the Natural Medicines database, increasing to a large dosage can cause side effects. Keep close observation on any side effects and track your weight loss progress to determine whether it is working as intended.

Acetyl L Carnitine Weight Loss Stacks

Using Acetyl L-Carnitine for weight loss on its own may only give you moderate results at first.

There is a lot of evidence to suggest that ALCAR may be even more effective as a weight loss supplement when stacked with other ingredients. These include Yohimbine, Green Tea Extract, 1-3 Dimethylamylamine, and caffeine.

Of course, which combination, and in what levels, works for you is still to be determined by careful and considered experimentation.

While it is more frequently used as a nootropic aid, there is no reason you cannot take Acetyl L-Carnitine for weight loss at the same time as boosting your cognitive faculties.

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