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L-Carnitine

Avoid L-Carnitine

L-carnitine is especially high in red meat. Red meat is one of the highest sources of L-carnitine, at about 56-162 mg per serving. L-carnitine can also be found in foods like pork, seafood, and chicken, but at much lower levels, between 3 and 7 mg per serving. Dairy, like ice cream, milk and cheese, has between 3 and 8 mg per serving. However, the main source of L-carnitine for many people is supplements with some people taking up to 500-1000 mg per day. The more L-carnitine you get, the more TMA you may make, which can damage your blood vessels even faster. It is also present in energy drinks like red bull.

Carnitine ↑ TMAO, Changes Gut Flora, Can ↑ Heart Disease Plasma L-carnitine levels in subjects undergoing cardiac evaluation predicted increased risks for both prevalent cardiovascular disease and cardiac events (myocardial infarction, stroke or death), but only among subjects with high TMAO levels.

↑ in carnitine can occur from ingestion of L-carnitine (in energy drinks), supplements, energy bars, and from red meat. The real culprit, is a little-studied chemical that is burped out by bacteria in the intestines after people eat red meat. It is quickly converted by the liver into yet another little-studied chemical called TMAO that gets into the blood and increases the risk of heart disease.

A study tested carnitine and TMAO levels in humans of omnivores, vegans, vegetarians, and examined the clinical data of 2,595 patients.  Researchers found that increased carnitine levels in patients predicted increased risks for cardiovascular disease like heart attack, stroke and death, but only in subjects with concurrently high TMAO levels. 

Vegans did not have a burst of circulating TMAO after volunteering to eat a steak but meat eaters did. This is related to their personal intestinal bacteria. And why do the intestinal bacteria increase circulating TMAO? Because TMAO is a by product of carnitine digestion and the bacteria require carnitine as an energy source, for food. Too much of L-carnitine besides making one at risk for heart disease, can cause vomiting, nausea, headache, diarrhea, stuffy nose, restlessness and sleeping difficulty

Food Sources of Carnitine

Food	Amount	Carnitine
Beef steak cooked	4 ounces	56-162
Ground beef cooked	4 ounces	8
Codfish cooked	4 ounces	4-7
Chicken breast cooked	4 ounces	3-5
Milk	1 Cup	8
Ice cream	½ cup	3
Cheddar cheese	2 ounces	2
Energy Drinks	16 ounces	4

-- select CARNITINE article -- CARNITINE fish odor results when coupled with carnitine supplements. CARNITINE Cleveland Clinic find link with gut bacteria & heart disease CARNITINE plans to develop cardiovascular risk test based on gut bacteria. CARNITINE found in red meat, energy drinks linked to heart disease CARNITINE TMAO study abstract. CARNITINE TMAO study Nature CARNITINE red meat nutrient damages heart CARNITINE good for brains bad for heart CARNITINE ScienceNews CARNITINE intestinal microbe metabolism of L-carnitine CARNITINE benefits vegan diets CARNITINE culprit in heart disease beyond fat CARNITINE meat eaters carbon footprint CARNITINE meat eaters guide CARNITINE persimmon leaf helps ↓

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We are  sharing our experiences with PKD/PLD Diet, an adjunct diet envisioning it complementing a physician's prescribed medical therapy. Consider testing this with your doctor's prior knowledge, who can  adjust it according to your own uniqueness by adding it to your current  treatment.

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