NUTRITIONAL ERGOGENIC AIDS - CARNITINE

Interest in carnitine as a nutritional supplement for athletes may have stemmed from its purported use by the Italian soccer team in their 1982 successful bid for the World Championship (14). Perhaps that event also stimulated the extensive commercial production of carnitine as a sport enhancer, as well as the many scientific studies that have appeared to evaluate its efficacy. The purpose of this brief review is to answer the following questions: What is the theoretical basis to suggest that carnitine would be effective as an ergogenic aid? Is there evidence that exercise will increase the need for carnitine? Does carnitine supplementation alter physiological responses to exercise? And most important, does carnitine supplementation enhance performance? Two current and extensive reviews of carnitine supplementation are also available (2, 14).