L-Carnitine and Gamma Butyrobetaine
What a mouthful! These naturally occurring compounds may sound sciencey and complicated, but stick with us and we’ll do our best to explain these fat burning power houses in a not so boring way!
So what even are they!
L-Carnitine is an essential amino acid naturally produced by the body that helps break down fat and convert it into energy. L-Carnitine can be found in our diet through animal sources such as meat and dairy and is also highly researched and readily available in supplement form.
Gamma Butyrobetaine (aka Lean GBB) is the molecule that gets converted into L-Carnitine. Without one, you wouldn’t have the other and the body works to make sure that levels of lean GBB are always the same as L-Carnitine. By boosting your lean GBB levels, your body will naturally boost your L-Carnitine levels to match.
So why take both?
It’s all about balance ⚖. Because the body likes to keep GBB and L-Carnitine at the same level, consuming them together will force the body to keep increasing the levels of each. So if you take an L-Carnitine supplement, your body will increase lean GBB levels, which then convert into more L-Carnitine. If you take a lean GBB supplement, the body will convert this into L-Carnitine, then naturally raise the levels of lean GBB again and so the cycle continues. The absolute definition of a power couple!
Let’s have a joke break. What do you call an acid with an attitude? A-mean-oh acid.
How does L-Carnitine help with fat burning?
L-Carnitine helps move fatty acids (the building blocks of the fat stored in our bodies and in the food we eat) into the mitochondria of our cells. Our cells then burn the fatty acids as energy instead of storing them, encouraging the body to burn fat during exercise instead of other tissues such as muscle. This can help reduce muscle fatigue and general sluggishness, particularly when working out while in a calorie deficit. [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18646596/
What else do they do?
L-Carnitine can help you get the most out of your workout, early studies [2] (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5872767/#:~:text=Later%20studies%20point%20to%20the,by%20attenuation%20of%20muscle%20soreness.) indicate that a diet high in L-Carnitine can improve oxygen levels and power output during exercise. Athletes have also reported increased endurance, faster recovery and faster muscle development when they supplement their diet with L-Carnitine regularly.
It could make you smarter! L-Carnitine is important for brain function, so supplementing a diet that is lacking can help improve your cognitive performance and overall focus.
Your heart will thank you for it too. L-Carnitine and it’s positive effects on energy production in mitochondria can have a direct impact on heart health. Your heart requires adequate energy production to function properly and L-Carnitine has also been researched as a possible treatment for angina, congestive heart failure and could assist with recovery after a heart attack.
Last but not least, L-Carnitine is thought to support fertility, particularly in females. The antioxidant properties of L-Carnitine help slow down the aging process of the reproductive system and can even help with sperm motility in men.
