Hello Forum Members,

I came across a couple of very informative articles:

Mitochondrial Restoration, Part II ~ Restoring Mitochondrial Function and Bio-Energetics
[http://www.vrp.com/art/912.asp]

Mitochondrial Restoration, Part I ~ Dysfunction, Nutrition and Aging
[http://www.vrp.com/art/868.asp

Both articles list all supplements we mention and a few more... There are links at the bottom (of both articles) to order supplements, but that's not my intent in sharing these articles. Just some good info with lots of diagrams and charts.

Fran

Fran: Thanks, I printed both of these reports; very informative. Tell me, do you know the dif betwen Acetly L-Carnitine and straight L-Carnitine? I'm taking both and would like to select one of the other.

Regards,
Brooks

Brooks, I've used L-Carnitine and Acetyl-L-Carnitine and both worked equally well for me as best I could tell. I took delivery on some Propionyl-L-Carnitine yessterday, but I haven't tried it yet. I've seen some European claims that it works even better. I'll see what, if anything, that means for me on Saturday when I have other folks around in case it causes problems. Stay tuned.

Darrell: Thanks. I'll keep alert for any information you have on the subj.

Brooks

Sorry, I forgot a link...
[http://www.annalsnyas.org/cgi/content/abstract/1033/1/79]

Thanks, Darrell. It was actually an informative article. If nothing else I at least know now what the L stands for.
It's a little like reading for the Law isn't it; you just don't get a job when you're done. By the way, are you in the US?

Regards,
Brooks

yes

Hi Brooks,

Re: do you know the dif betwen Acetly L-Carnitine and straight L-Carnitine?

Ray quoted something similar to this in one of his posts:
* L-Carnitine is needed to carry fat into the mitochondria as fuel
* Acetyl L-Carnitine carries the "combustion" products away from muscle energy production

Carnitine combined with Alpha Lipoic Acid can be even more effective.

Fran

Fran: Thanks. I knew that "fuel in/waste out" were the improved functions, but I didn't kow which did what. I'm going to continue to take both lcar and alcar, and I just got the Alpha lip.... delivered; so, I'm well set for now. By the way, do you kow if AlCAR or any of the suppliments we take affect the digestive tract? I know Vit C, if taken to extreme can cause problems; have you heard or do you know of other affects.

Regards,
Brooks

Hi Brooks,

Good article about carnitine:
[http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsSupplements/CarnitineLCarnitinecs.html]

Precautions

Because supplements may have side effects or interact with medications, they should be taken only under the supervision of a knowledgeable healthcare provider.

Although L-carnitine does not appear to cause significant side effects, high doses (5 or more grams per day) may cause diarrhea. Other rare side effects include increased appetite, body odor, and rash.

D-carnitine supplements should be avoided as they interfere with the natural form of L-carnitine and may produce undesirable side effects.

Individuals taking L-carnitine as a sports supplement to improve fat metabolism and muscular performance should stop using it at least for one week each month.

Fran

Fran: Yes, that answers my ?.

Thank you

Thanks for the links and info (and for calling me old and senior).

The majority of that info I had already found on my own. I've spent hundreds of hours researching this stuff with doc's and on the net. I did get some new ideas which I will run by my doc. My doc with the MDA is very up on this stuff, and totally believes that Statins can be very bad. He also believes that there is a small handful of people that statins can really help.

I can really relate to the memory problems. Even one year after stopping the statins, and a few weeks after getting the anthrax vaccine (not sure of the connection), but when I got home, I went to make a sign up to sell my horses, and I found myself writing some of the numbers backwards, on my phone number. Pretty scary stuff...

I, for one, am somewhat proud of my increasingly fossilized status and hope to be as sharp as Ray Holder if I get to be that age. :)

Biologist

I've been taking the Propionyl-L-Carnitine (PLC) for a week and a half now. It's a bit more expensive, but I do believe it works better for my leg muscle problem. I have gone from taking 2,500 to 3,000 mg of Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC) per day to taking 1,000 mg of ALC plus 1,000 of PLC per day. I divide them equally between breakfast and late afternoon. Aside from taking a bit less and a bit less often, I feel like my leg is in better shape in the evening -- none of that occasional mild weakness I had before even with LC or ALC.

I'm convinced enough to order a second bottle. I will be trying all-PLC before my ALC stockpile runs low. Maybe 1,500 mg of PLC per day will suffice.

The brand I'm using is "Jarrow Formulas". It's actually Glycine Propionyl-L-Carnitine trademarked as "GlycoCarn" and it's made by Sigma-Tau Industries, S.p.A. (Rome, Italy). I got my first bottle through VitaCost.com.

The bottle says that "Compared with other forms of carnitine, PLC exhibits a special affinity for muscle tissues, such as the heart." Also "It assists energy production by facilitating the transport of fatty acids into the mitochondria and, likewise, the removal of waste substances."

That sounds interesting on the Propionyl-L-Carnitine. I may get some too.

Amazon.com emailed me notification yesterday of the arrival of this book hyperlinked below. Some of us Mitochondria Junkies may want to order it. I had previously ordered and read Lane's book "Oxygen" right after it came out in 2004. That is the book that's coupled with this new one for cheaper ordering. "Oxygen" was pretty good. I may order the new one, but I swear, reading all the reviews and the online pages available for reading, there is pretty little there that I did not already know. Some of you guys will likely be the same. On the other hand, reading stuff you already know makes the reading faster, reinforces the knowledge and may make for a few more connections ("connecting the dots," so to speak). I also am wondering if it is going to be a bit depressing learning of the damage I have likely done to my mitochondria.

I will probably bite the bullet and order it though.

[http://www.amazon.com/dp/0199205647/ref=pe_pe_606_4714980_pe_ar_t1]

Biologist

Cohen, B., and Gold, D. Mitochondrial cytopathy in adults: What we know so far. Cleveland Clinic J Medicine, 2001, 68: 7, 625-642.