The Effects of L-Carnitine Supplementation on Lipid Concentrations in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials Publisher



Asbaghi O¹ ; Kashkooli S² ; Amini MR^{3, 4} ; Shahinfar H³ ; Djafarian K⁵ ; Clark CCT⁶ ; Shabbidar S³ Show Affiliations
Source: Journal of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Research Published:2020

Abstract

This meta-analysis was performed to assess the effect of L-carnitine supplementation on lipid profile. A systematic search were conducted in PubMed and Scopus to identify randomized clinical trials (RCTs) which evaluated the effects of L-carnitine on lipid profile. Pooled effect sizes were measured using random-effect model (Dersimonian-Laird). Meta-analysis showed that L-carnitine supplementation significantly reduced total cholesterol (TC) (weighted mean difference [WMD]: -8.17 mg/dL; 95% CI, -14.68 to -1.65, I2=52.2%, P= 0.041). Baseline level of TC was a source of heterogeneity, with a greater effect in studies with a baseline level of more than 200 mg/d (WMD: -11.93 mg/dL; 95% CI, -20.80 to -3.05). L-carnitine also significantly decreased low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) (WMD: -5.22 mg/dL; 95% CI, -9.54 to -0.91, I2=66.7%, P= 0.010), and LDL-C level <100 mg/dL), trial duration, and L-carnitine dosage were potential sources of heterogeneity. L-carnitine supplementation appeared to have no significant effect on high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) (WMD: -0.51 mg/dL; 95% CI, -2.45 to 1.44) and triglyceride (TG) (WMD: 2.80 mg/dL; 95% CI, -8.09 to 13.69). This meta-analysis revealed that L-carnitine may have favorable effects on lipid profile, especially LDL-C and TC. However, further RCTs are needed to confirm the veracity of these results, particularly among hyperlipidemic patients. © 2020 The Author (s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.