A study in the April 2013 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings documented that the amino acid L-carnitine significantly improves cardiac function after a heart attack. Apparently, l-carnitine is depleted after a heart attack and, if corrected, results in a 27% reduction in all-cause mortalitiy, 65% fewer dangerous ventricular arrhythmias, 40% reduction in the development of angina, and a smaller sized infarct. It probably also reduces the number of re-infarction, and the development of congestive heart failure.
So, what does l-carnitine do? The heart gets the vast majority of its energy from burning fat! L-carnitine transports long chain fatty acids into the energy-producing part of heart cells, the mitochondria, and allows it to metabolize them to produce energy (ATP). It has been shown that in a heart attack, levels of l-carnitine are depleted quite quickly, so it should be replaced.
