Stemulite™ Dietary Contents

Acetyl (L-carnitine amino acid): 200 mg

L-carnitine, an amino acid derivative, is found in nearly all cells of the body. L-carnitine transports long-chain fatty acids across the inner mitochondrial membranes in the mitochondria, where they are processed by beta-oxidation to produce biological energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate or ATP. L-carnitine is one of the neurotransmitters that cross the blood-brain barrier and functions to support mental clarity and memory. L-carnitine is also known as levocarnitine and was formerly called vitamin BT. L-carnitine is a quaternary amine and belongs to the same chemical family as choline and is soluble in water.

L-carnitine occurs naturally in animal products. Generally, only very small amounts of it are found in plants, with few exceptions, such as avocado and some fermented soy products, e.g. tempeh. L-carnitine is a chiral molecule. Its stereoisomer D-carnitine does not have the biological activity of L-carnitine and may even antagonize L-carnitine in its biological roles.

L-carnitine is synthesized in the human body, chiefly in the liver and kidneys, from the essential amino acids L-lysine and L-methioine. Niacin, vitamins B6 and C, and iron are involved in its biosynthesis. L-carnitine is described as a conditionally essential nutrient. This refers to certain conditions where exogenous L-carnitine may be required, such as in long-term parenteral nutrition, that on valproic acid therapy and possibly for the elderly.

How it Works

There are at least two major functions of L-carnitine. All tissues except the brain use long-chain fatty acids for bioenergy production. In cardiac and skeletal muscle, a major contribution of bioenergy comes from the beta-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids. Long-chain fatty acids require L-carnitine to transport them across the inner membranes of the mitochondria, wherein their metabolism produces bioenergy. Following the delivery of long-chain fatty acids into other mitochondria, L-carnitine, either by itself or esterified to an acyl group, recrosses the mitochondrial membrane to allow for continual use in this shuttle process.

Another function of L-carnitine is to remove short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids from the mitochondria in order to maintain coenzyme A levels in these organelles. These fatty acids accumulate as a result of normal and abnormal metabolism. This mechanism prevents the build-up in the mitochondria of short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids that may interfere with the bioenergy-producing process vital to the normal function of the cell.

As mentioned above, L-carnitine is a neurotransmitter which crosses the blood brain barrier. Neurotransmitters are essential in mental processing, memory and concentration.

Synergistic Effects

Alpha lipoic acid and acetyl L-carnitine: could alpha lipoic acid and acetyl L-carnitine combine to form the Elixir of Life? When ALA is combined with L-carnitine the effect is powerfully synergistic. The initial excitement about ALC/alpha lipoic acid (ALA) supplementation began when a team of researchers in California fed elderly rats both nutrients for a period of seven weeks and then compared them with young rats. They were testing the theory that mitochondrial decline is caused by free radical damage. There was already evidence that supplementation with acetyl L-carnitine (ALC) could reverse the age-related decline in mitochondrial activity in rats, increase fatty acid oxidation and boost general metabolic activity. However, the down side to this increased mitochondrial function was that more oxidative damage occurred, so the researchers decided to add the powerful mitochondrial antioxidant alpha lipoic acid (ALA) to the mix to see if they could get the best of both worlds: increased mitochondrial energy output, with reduced mitochondrial damage.

This two-pronged ‘punch’ to ageing cells seemed to work, with the two supplements together producing better results than either one alone. After a month on the supplements, elderly (24-month-old) and lethargic rats had more energy and did better on memory tests, while their mitochondria worked better. The decline in overall activity typical of aged rats was reversed to the level of young-to-middle-aged adult rats, aged 7-10 months. The researchers likened this result to a group of 80-year-old humans throwing away their walking sticks and starting to act 35 years younger!

Other Implications for Human Health

These studies on rats caused a huge stir within the scientific community. Here was evidence that some of the processes of ageing could be slowed or even reversed, and the implications for human health and performance were enormous. In the months that followed, a number of human studies were started, many of which are still under way.

However, the question of whether the benefits observed in rats might also apply to humans will not be easy to determine. For one thing, the ageing process in humans is much slower than in rats, so the seven-week supplementation period used in the rat studies would equate to around five years of supplementation in humans! Secondly, the amounts of acetyl L-carnitine (ALC)/alpha lipoic acid (ALA) used in the rat studies were very high – equivalent to 50g per day of acetyl L-carnitine (ALC) and 5g of alpha lipoic acid (ALA) for an 150 pound adult. That’s around 50 times more than is typically available in acetyl L-carnitine (ALC)/ALA supplements found on the shelves of most health food stores!

One of the earliest studies examining the effect of acetyl L-carnitine (ALC) and alpha lipoic acid (ALA) in humans was carried out at San Francisco State University in 2001. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study lasting 17 weeks, 18 healthy sedentary men aged 60-71 were randomized to one of two treatment régimes: a placebo tablet twice a day or 1,000mgs of acetyl L-carnitine (ALC) and 400mgs of alpha lipoic acid (ALA) in two divided doses. Both groups were then asked to perform a demanding sequence of exercises, after which blood was drawn and analyzed for signs of exercise-induced oxidative stress (a potentially damaging by-product of energy production). To measure oxidative stress, the study evaluated nine different biomarkers: ammonia, beta-carotene, glutamine, glutathione, malondialdehyde, total antioxidant status (TAS), vitamin C, vitamin E-alpha tocopherol, and vitamin E-gamma tocopherol. For eight of these nine biomarkers, a majority of subjects in the treatment group recorded values indicating that levels of oxidative stress had fallen. By contrast, no such benefits were reported in the placebo group.

Fitness/Training Applications

If an acetyl L-carnitine (ALC)/alpha lipoic acid (ALA) combination can reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress that would be good news for athletes, who are particularly vulnerable to such stress. However, because the small scale of this study made it difficult to reach statistically significant conclusions, the results were not submitted for scientific publication, which means they should be interpreted with caution.

Other human studies are also currently under way, but so far there are no published human studies available, although positive studies in animals continue to proliferate. Last year, for example, American researchers demonstrated that alpha lipoic acid (ALA) supplementation in older racehorses reduced the oxidative stress burden even under light training loads, while a number of other animal studies have shown that acetyl L-carnitine (ALC)/ALA supplementation reduces oxidative stress and improves mitochondrial function in a number of tissues, including brain, muscle and heart.

In one of these studies, researchers examined the effects of acetyl L-carnitine (ALC)/alpha lipoic acid (ALA) therapy on ageing and hearing in rats, and found that it reduced the normal age-associated deterioration in auditory sensitivity and improved inner ear function. They concluded that these improvements were related to the acetyl L-carnitine (ALC)/ALA combination’s ability to protect and repair age-induced mitochondrial DNA damage, thereby boosting mitochondrial function and improving energy turnover. However, while the initial evidence from animal studies looks extremely promising, the jury is still out as far as humans are concerned.

Summary:

The Stemulite™ combination of mitochondrial energizers, free radical scavengers, amino acid “stackers,” immune stimulators, stem-cell recruiters, inflammatory down-regulators, rest and sleep enhancers, and a rare earth mineral that produces mood elevation and HPA synchronizing of all hormonal functions is without doubt the most complete and effective workout and fitness supplement available in the world!