Acetyl-L-Carnitine Curbed Chronic Fatigue
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the nervous system in which the myelin sheath—the insulating layer around nerve fibers—is destroyed. Symptoms include weakness, lack of muscle coordination and control, speech and visual disturbances, tingling, and numbness. The cause of the disease is unknown. Scientists have been unable to find an effective treatment for the chronic fatigue associated with MS, which was the purpose of this study.
The six-month, double blind study compared the pharmaceutical drug amantadine with acetyl-Lcarnitine (ALCAR), and consisted of 36 participants with MS. Half of the participants took 100 mg of amantadine twice per day while the other half took 1,000 mg of ALCAR twice per day. After three months, the two groups switched treatments for the remaining three months. At the end of the study, researchers determined that the ALCAR groups had significantly reduced fatigue severity, as measured by the Fatigue Severity Scale questionnaire, compared to the amantadine groups. The authors concluded that ALCAR was more effective than amantadine for MS-related chronic fatigue and had fewer side effects.
Researchers chose to study ALCAR, the naturally occurring chemical product of the amino acid carnitine found in humans, because this nutrient is involved in energy production in the body. ALCAR supports cellular function in the brain, heart, liver, immune system, central nervous system (CNS), and peripheral nervous system (PNS); the two main divisions of the nervous system. The PNS is connected to the CNS with sensory organs, other organs, muscles, blood vessels, and glands, and controls the function of the limbs and organs.
Reference: Journal of Neurology and Science; 2004, Vol. 218, 103-8.
