The effect of L-carnitine supplementation on lipid profile in adults: an umbrella meta-analysis on interventional meta-analyses

Vali Musazadeh; Hanie Alinejad; Niloofar Kouhi Esfahani; Zeynab Kavyani; Majid Keramati; Neda Roshanravan; Erfan Mosharkesh; Parvin Dehghan

doi:10.3389/fnut.2023.1214734

The effect of L-carnitine supplementation on lipid profile in adults: an umbrella meta-analysis on interventional meta-analyses

Front Nutr. 2023 Sep 4:10:1214734. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1214734. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Vali Musazadeh^{1

2}, Hanie Alinejad³, Niloofar Kouhi Esfahani⁴, Zeynab Kavyani^{1

2}, Majid Keramati^{1

2}, Neda Roshanravan⁵, Erfan Mosharkesh⁶, Parvin Dehghan⁷

Affiliations

¹ Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
² School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
³ Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
⁴ Faculty of Medicine, Rudn University of Moscow, Moscow, Russia.
⁵ Cardiovascular Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
⁶ Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.
⁷ Nutrition Research Center, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: Previous meta-analyses investigating the therapeutic effects of L-carnitine on lipid profiles have demonstrated inconsistent results. The present umbrella meta-analysis aimed to investigate the impact of efficacy of L-carnitine on lipid profiles in adults.

Methods: Databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched up to June 2023. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model.

Results: Our results from thirteen meta-analyses indicated that L-carnitine supplementation significantly total cholesterol (TC) (ES = -1.05 mg/dL, 95% CI: -1.71, -0.39; p = 0.002), triglycerides (TG) (ES = -2.51 mg/dL; 95% CI: -3.62, -1.39, p < 0.001), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) (ES = -4.81 mg/dL; 95% CI: -6.04, -3.59; p < 0.001). It also increased high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) (ES: 0.66 mg/dL, 95% CI: 0.20, 1.12, p = 0.005) levels.

Conclusion: The present umbrella meta-analysis suggests supplementation with L-carnitine in a dosage of more than 2 g/day can improve lipid profile. Thus, L-carnitine supplementation can be recommended as an adjuvant anti-hyperlipidemic agent.

Keywords: L-Carnitine; dyslipidemia; lipid profile; systematic reviews; umbrella meta-analysis.

Publication types

Systematic Review