Volume 19, Issue 73 (Sep 2009)                   J Mazandaran Univ Med Sci 2009, 19(73): 42-50 | Back to browse issues page

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Abstract:   (14224 Views)
Background and purpose:Many athletes adopt nutritional manipulations to improve their performance. Among the substances generally consumed is carnitine (L-trimethyl-3-hydroxy-ammoniobutanoate) which has been used by athletes as an ergogenic aid, due to its role in the transport of long-chain fatty acids across mitochondrial membranes. Nutritional supplements containing carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals have been widely used in various sporting fields to provide a boost to the recommended daily allowance. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of acute L-carnitine administration on ventilatory breakpoint, an exercise performance during incremental exercise.
Materials and methods: This study was double-blind, randomized and crossover in design. The subjects were 12 randomly selected active male physical education students, 21.75±0.64 years old, with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 23.7±0.94kg/m2, divided into 2 groups. They received orally either 2g of L-carnitine dissolved in 200 ml of water, plus 6 drops of lemon juice or a placebo (6 ml lemon juice dissolved in 200 ml of water) 90 minutes before they began to exercise on a treadmill. They performed a modified protocol of Conconi test to exhaustion. One-way analysis of variance with repeated measurements was used for data analysis.
Results:The results showed that exercise performance improved in LC group (2980±155 meter) compared with placebo group (2331±51 meter). Furthermore, no significant difference was found in ventilatory breakpoint between the two groups.
Conclusion:This finding indicates that administration of L- Carnitine, 90 minutes prior to exercise may improve performance despite the ventilatory breakpoint as one of the anaerobicsystem indices that had no effect.
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Type of Study: Research(Original) |

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