 Other than the health benefits that Jia Ying

mentioned, ALCAR supplements can restore the

mitochondria function and cognitive function in
elderly
 The study conducted by Hagen et al. in 1998 showed
that aged rats fed with 1.5% of ALCAR solution can
restore the mitochondrial membrane potential and
cardiolipin levels which decline due to aging
 The study of Liu et al in 2002 concludes that the
combination of ALCAR solution and R lipoic acid
able to reduce oxidative damage to nucleic acid in
brain
 In 2010, Kobayashi et al. also carried out a study by
feeding aged rats with (100mg/kg) of ALCAR
supplements for 3 months
 In vivo study showed that the aged rats in treatment
group are able to solve problems faster than those in
the control group
 In vitro studies on the hippocampus slices of aged rat
in the treatment group reveal an increase in the
excitatory postsynaptic potential slope .
 This proves that the supplements can enhance Ca
influx and acetylcholine synthesis
 However, there is not enough evidence to prove that
these supplements is effective to improve the
cognitive function in young rats
 Although this supplement slows down deterioration
rate of cognitive impairment in the early stage of AD,
there is still lack of clinical trials to support the
efficacy of this supplement.
 Next, L carnitine supplements can be a possible
treatment for T2DM
 In 2007, Rajeska and Anuradha fed the rats with high
fructose diet and treated with L-carnitine
supplements for 60 days.
 In vitro study on the rat diaphragm show that L-
carnitine supplements improve the glucose uptake
and reduce glycation.
 Another study conducted by Ruggenenti ,by treating
the patients with 2g ALCAR tablets a day for 6
months able to improve the glucose tolerance patients
with GDR lesser than 7.9
 The consumption of low calorie diet along with 4 g
of L-carnitine supplements a day also improved the
glucose tolerance in the patients.
 However, the efficacy of L-carnitine treatment for
T2DM is still controversial
  Perhaps, future research should focus on longer
period of treatment with higher dosages.
Questions
Acetyl-l-carnitine (ALCAR) is more widely used than l-
carnitine in animal and clinical studies because it enters
cells and crosses the blood–brain barrier more efficiently