L-carnitine Vilified By Mainstream Press

Not since Oprah herself swore another hamburger would never pass her lips has there been so much mainstream press about beef.

But this time, it's not the cattle ranchers who are up in arms...it's the nutritional industry. Because in this attack, the mainstream has one of our own in its cross-hairs.

The supposed "danger" of L-carnitine is utter nonsense and has been blown way out of proportion to bump up ratings and sell more magazines.

L-carnitine is an amino acid in red meat, chicken, seafood, dairy, and other proteins.

According to a new study, L-carnitine might set off a series of actions in your gut that creates a compound called TMAO. This compound might also cause heart disease in mice. And in a small trial with humans, meat-eaters had higher TMAO levels compared to vegetarians.

Well the media jumped on this like a junebug! They threw down the cards and declared L-carnitine the "culprit" behind heart disease. But even The New York Times (which piled on against L-carnitine) admitted that there's no link between TMAO and heart disease in humans. It's all connect-the-dots theory.

The reporting also conveniently fails to even mention the many studies that have clearly linked L-carnitine with heart health support.

So there is clearly no need to dump your L-carnitine supplement.

And there's also a little confusion. What's the difference between L-carnitine and acetyl L-carnitine (ALC)?

Good question. Because both are essential in different ways.

L-carnitine delivers valuable fatty acids to your mitochondria - the powerhouses of your cells. It also helps convert body fat into fuel. And that boosts your energy levels.

Research also shows that L-carnitine protects heart muscle cells from heart attack damage. In a recent Mayo Clinic review of 13 studies, L-carnitine supplements reduced all-cause mortality when used as preventive therapy after heart attack.

And those are real-world results at one of the world's most respected institutions.

ALC is one of the types of L-carnitine. But ALC goes to work on your brain. It stimulates a key neurotransmitter that supports memory function. It also prevents brain-cell death, and protects nerve cells from age-related degeneration.

If you use ALC, your body converts some of it into L-carnitine. So an ALC supplement actually delivers both forms of this valuable amino acid.

If you're really worried about your heart health, maybe you should throw out the New York Times instead of your supplements!

...and speaking of supplements for you heart health here are some suggestions.

Enriching Gifts Red Heart Algae
Enriching Gifts Metabolic Complete
Womega Fish Oil
Wellgenix Resveratrol

Calcium may lower mortality risk for women

Taking a calcium supplement of up to 1,000 milligrams per day can help women live longer, according to a Canadian study.

Although calcium is an essential nutrient for bone health, past studies have linked calcium supplements to heart disease risk, according to background information in the study, which is scheduled for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Researchers analyzing data from the large-scale Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study sought to clarify this issue and found moderate doses of calcium supplements had a beneficial effect in women, although there was no statistical benefit for men. The researchers also found no conclusive evidence that vitamin D had an impact on mortality.

"Our study found daily use of calcium supplements was associated with a lower risk of death among women," the study’s senior author, David Goltzman, MD, of McGill University in Montreal, said in a news release. "The benefit was seen for women who took doses of up to 1,000 mg per day, regardless of whether the supplement contained vitamin D."

The longitudinal cohort study monitored the health of 9,033 Canadians between 1995 and 2007. During that period, 1,160 participants died. Women who took up to 1,000 mg per day of calcium had a 22% lower risk of dying compared with women who did not take calcium supplements.

"Higher amounts of calcium were potentially linked to longer lifespans in women, regardless of the source of the calcium," Goltzman said. "That is, the same benefits were seen when the calcium came from dairy foods, non-dairy foods or supplements."

The study fails to consider the quality of the calcium supplement. 1000mg of calcium carbonate is the same as 1000mg of limestone, the body doesn't assimilate it. It's like eating chalk. Is that really all that good for the body?

A good coral calcium that is harvested and processed without exposure to air is easily digested by the body. The other nutrients that are available also makes a difference. Calcium needs to be kept in balance with potassium and magnesium for ultimate use by the body.

Two excellent sources for your protein needs are Enriching Gifts Coral Coral Life and Enzyme Research Products Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium.