Table 1. Changes of Parameters Before and After 4 Weeks of L-Carnitine Therapy (n = 13).
| Variables | Baseline | At 4 weeks | P valuea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total carnitine (μmol/L) | 71.0 ± 14.7 | 105.5 ± 30.0 | < 0.001 |
| Free carnitine (μmol/L) | 54.5 ± 13.8 | 77.9 ± 23.1 | < 0.001 |
| Acyl carnitine (μmol/L) | 16.5 ± 3.9 | 27.6 ± 9.0 | < 0.001 |
| Non-protein respiratory quotient | 0.838 ± 0.097 | 0.868 ± 0.060 | 0.19 |
| Rest energy expenditure (kcal/day) | 1,402.4 ± 239.1 | 1,379.9 ± 265.3 | 0.33 |
| %C | 37.6 ± 30.0 | 48.2 ± 18.3 | 0.12 |
| %F | 40.2 ± 26.6 | 31.9 ± 23.7 | 0.20 |
| %P | 22.2 ± 15.3 | 19.9 ± 15.9 | 0.48 |
| Free fatty acid (μEq/L) | 669.6 ± 198.1 | 846.2 ± 192.5 | 0.003 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL) | 171.8 ± 43.3 | 177.2 ± 45.5 | 0.16 |
| Triglyceride (mg/dL) | 66.1 ± 25.3 | 70.4 ± 33.8 | 0.19 |
| Body weight (kg) | 62.7 ± 13.6 | 63.0 ± 13.8 | 0.09 |
| Serum albumin (g/dL) | 3.22 ± 0.50 | 3.29 ± 0.58 | 0.32 |
| Serum prealbumin (mg/dL) | 9.85 ± 2.74 | 10.12 ± 3.33 | 0.41 |
| BCAA to tyrosine ratio | 3.16 ± 0.87 | 3.35 ± 1.14 | 0.49 |
| Fasting blood glucose (mg/dL) | 111.5 ± 19.2 | 113.2 ± 19.2 | 0.57 |
| IRI (μU/mL) | 14.6 ± 10.2 | 12.1 ± 7.5 | 0.17 |
| HOMA-IR | 3.97 ± 2.75 | 3.36 ± 2.04 | 0.23 |
| Serum ammonia (μg/dL) | 65.8 ± 49.1 | 61.4 ± 45.4 | 0.53 |
Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation. %C: substrate oxidation rates of carbohydrate; %F: substrate oxidation rates of fat; %P: substrate oxidation rates of protein; BCAA: branched chain amino acid; IRI: immune reactive insulin; HOMA-IR: homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance. aPaired t-test.