No significant effect was seen for waist circumference ( WC ) and body fat percent .
A non-linear dose-response association was seen between l-carnitine supplementation and body weight reduction ( P < 0.001 ) suggesting that ingestion of 2000 mg l-carnitine per day provides the maximum effect in adults .
This association was not seen for BMI , WC and body fat percent .
CONCLUSIONS l-carnitine supplementation provides a modest reducing effect on body weight , BMI and fat mass , especially among adults with overweight/obesity
BACKGROUND AND AIM Clinical evidence which investigated the effects of l-carnitine , a vitamin-like substance , on weight loss had led to inconsistent results .
This study therefore aim ed to examine the effect of l-carnitine supplementation on body weight and composition by including the maximum number of r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) and to conduct a dose-response analysis , for the first time .
Randomised phase III clinical trial of 5 different arms of treatment on 332 patients with cancer cachexia.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE A phase III r and omised study was carried out to establish the most effective and safest treatment to improve the primary endpoints of cancer cachexia : lean body mass ( LBM ) , resting energy expenditure ( REE ) , fatigue ; and relevant secondary endpoints : appetite , quality of life , grip strength , Glasgow Prognostic Score ( GPS ) and proinflammatory cytokines . PATIENTS Three hundred and thirty-two assessable patients with cancer-related anorexia/cachexia syndrome ( CACS ) were r and omly assigned to one of five arms of treatment : 1 - -medroxyprogesterone 500 mg/d or megestrol acetate 320 mg/d ; 2 - -oral supplementation with eicosapentaenoic acid ( EPA ) ; 3 - -L-carnitine 4 g/d ; 4 - -thalidomide 200 mg/d ; 5 - -a combination of the above . Treatment duration : 4 months . RESULTS Analysis of variance showed a significant difference between the treatment arms . A post hoc analysis showed the superiority of arm 5 over the others for all primary endpoints . An analysis of changes from baseline showed that LBM ( by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and by L3 computed tomography ) significantly increased in arm 5 . REE decreased significantly and fatigue improved significantly in arm 5 . Appetite increased significantly in arm 5 . IL-6 decreased significantly in arm 5 and 4 . GPS significantly decreased in arms 5 , 4 and 3 . Total daily physical activity showed that total energy and active energy expenditure increased significantly in arm 5 . Eastern Cooperative Oncology group-Performance Status ( ECOG-PS ) significantly decreased in arms 5 , 4 and 3 . Toxicity was substantially negligible , comparable between treatment arms . CONCLUSIONS The most effective treatment for all three primary efficacy endpoints as well as secondary endpoints appetite , IL-6 , GPS and ECOG PS was the combination regimen that included all selected agents
No significant effect was seen for waist circumference ( WC ) and body fat percent .
A non-linear dose-response association was seen between l-carnitine supplementation and body weight reduction ( P < 0.001 ) suggesting that ingestion of 2000 mg l-carnitine per day provides the maximum effect in adults .
This association was not seen for BMI , WC and body fat percent .
CONCLUSIONS l-carnitine supplementation provides a modest reducing effect on body weight , BMI and fat mass , especially among adults with overweight/obesity
BACKGROUND AND AIM Clinical evidence which investigated the effects of l-carnitine , a vitamin-like substance , on weight loss had led to inconsistent results .
This study therefore aim ed to examine the effect of l-carnitine supplementation on body weight and composition by including the maximum number of r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) and to conduct a dose-response analysis , for the first time .