Got this info from a piece of paper out of the box the L-C came in.
"L-Carnitine is an essential co-factor of lipid metabolism found in living tissues, particularly the heart and skeletal muscles, where it is intimately involved in cellular energy production. Its action is to assist the transportation of long chain fatty acids across the membrane of the cell mitochondria to enable their breakdown by enzyme pathways into energy (ATP), carbon dioxide and water. L-Carnitine is also believed to have other important roles, such as preventing the toxic accuulation of acyl CoA compounds. These compounds are trapped as canitine esters and transported from the muscle to the liver for processing, and to the kidney for excretion. This function is not unlike physilogical buffer and so L-Carnitine may play a protective role in preventing metabolic acidosis. L-Carnitine iis available to animals through their diet or by endogenous (within the body) biosynthesis from dietary precursors. However, as herbage and cereals have relatively low levels of L-Carnitine, endogenous production is important.
Deficiency of L-Carnitine can therefore arise when the diet is lacking in L-Carnitine of prcursors (lysine, methionine, vit C, vit B6, inacin and iron) Signs of L-Carnitine deficiency in the body are associated with a failure to utilize fatty acids for energy production and include skeletal muscle dysfunction and weakness, heart enlargement, heart failure and rhythm disturbances, and liver dysfunction.
L-carnitine requirements are known to rise during periods of increased tissue demand.
