Get ready to have your mind blown with how remarkable Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR) is! Naturally synthesized in the body from the lysine derivative L-carnitine, this macronutrient is also produced when consuming animal proteins.
ALCAR, also a potent nootropic, enhances both the body and the human brain with its incredible benefits.
While ALCAR can maximize concentration and improve general cognition, ALCAR is also helpful in the relentless fight against mental and physical fatigue and the effects of inevitable aging, including supporting cardiovascular health.
ALCAR is known to treat a multitude of conditions from mental disorders, memory loss, depression, issues related to thinking due to either alcoholism, Lyme disease, or excessively deteriorating liver function.
ALCAR is also helpful for use in treating alcohol withdrawal symptoms, cataracts, bipolar disorder, Down syndrome, poor brain circulation post-stroke. ALCAR is also used to help ease nerve pain, either related to diabetes, drugs used to treat cancer or AIDS, facial paralysis, fibromyalgia, and sciatica.
ALCAR penetrates the blood-brain barrier and takes action within the brain, as well as at a cellular level within the brain, maintaining the mitochondria integrity of each cell. The conversion of nutrients into energy occurs; however, age weakens this process and promotes the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, amongst others.
Presently ALCAR is accessible in the form of a supplement, and prescriptions are not required.
Check out this brief video here with an excellent explanation as to what Acetyl-L-Carnitine is and why it’s so important.
Let’s delve deeper into how ALCAR can benefit your overall health.
Contents
- Top 5 Best Acetyl-L-Carnitine Vendors
- How Does ALCAR Impact the Body?
- ALCAR Benefits
- 1. Reliable Pain Alleviation
- 2. Enhanced Brain Function
- 3. It Can Help Reduce Fatigue and Even Improve Cognitive Function!
- 4. This Supplement Can Also Facilitate Management Of Depression and Fatigue
- 5. Men Can Find Relief For “Male Menopause”
- 6. Male Infertility Can Also Be Treated With ALCAR
- 7. t Can Help Men Treat Peyronie’s Disease
- Be Aware Of Potential Concerns
- Who Should Be Taking ALCAR As A Supplement?
- Does ALCAR React with Other Medication?
- ALCAR Dosage
- Dosing Recommendations
- Doses For Cognitive Function and Fatigue
- Doses For Age-Related Disease, Depression, and Alcohol Use Disorder
- Doses For Low Testosterone And Diabetic Neuropathy
- Doses To Treat Male Infertility
- Doses For Infertility Related To Chlamydia Infection
- Doses For Low Sperm Count, Movements and Abnormally Shaped Sperm
- Dose for Peyronie Disease
- Dose BY IV
- ALCAR In A Shot
- Final Words
Top 5 Best Acetyl-L-Carnitine Vendors
Learn More >
Brands | Price | Rating | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
Jarrow Formulas | $ | ||
Natural BioScience | $$ | ||
Doctor’s Best | $ | ||
Double Wood Supplements | $ | ||
Swanson | $ |
How Does ALCAR Impact the Body?
Now that you are a bit more familiar with ALCAR, you would be interested to understand how powerfully your body is affected by it.
Studies conducted in humans suggest that ALCAR benefits the body and the brain in a multitude of ways from alleviating pain symptoms, boosting cognitive ability, and increasing energy, including the prevention of any potential harm caused as a result of consuming too much alcohol.
So, when is the appropriate time to take ALCAR, and how will it benefit us? What is the correct dosage one should be taking? Let's take a look at how well we could be affected by it, potential risks involved, and the dosage of this outstanding supplement.
ALCAR Benefits
Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR) is made from L-carnitine within the body. ALCAR is also converted L-carnitine, which is an amino acid that is naturally produced in the body and also helps to produce energy. Vitamin C is also required to help the body to produce ALCAR. While ALCAR is produced in the body, it is also available as a supplement, which is also beneficial.
1. Reliable Pain Alleviation
Studies and clinical trials have suggested that chronic neuropathic pain can be effectively alleviated with ALCAR.
Pain reduction and improved nerve function were observed in studies where 1770 patients were administered ALCAR. These subjects suffered from pain related to HIV, injury, compression, diabetic neuropathy.
If you are enduring similar pain, you may want to consider including ALCAR as a supplement soon to help you ease up!
2. Enhanced Brain Function
ALCAR primarily enhances the acetylcholine system. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter very closely linked to recollection and learning.
ALCAR, known to be acetylcholine's precursor, has consistently proved effective in brain enhancement and improvement with subjects who experience cognitive decline.
3. It Can Help Reduce Fatigue and Even Improve Cognitive Function!
Mental fatigue reduction and cognitive function improvements in elderly people were observed in studies conducted. These studies also included patients with mild impairment in cognitive function related to Alzheimer's disease, and improvements were also observed in their learning abilities.
Cognitive function of healthy individuals taking ALCAR and its related effects have not been adequately investigated. Although many healthy people taking ALCAR have experienced positive outcomes in relation to cognition. Further research on healthy individuals and ALCAR’s long term benefits is still required.
4. This Supplement Can Also Facilitate Management Of Depression and Fatigue
Patients who experience fatigue and depression due to chronic illnesses are known to improve when taking ALCAR as a supplement.
Chronic fatigue syndrome, related to multiple sclerosis, were reported to improve with ALCAR.
Clinical trials deemed ALCAR effective as an antidepressant for different patients either suffering from hepatic encephalopathy, fibromyalgia as well as elderly with co-morbidities where other antidepressants were unviable.
5. Men Can Find Relief For “Male Menopause”
Deteriorating male hormones are known to improve when administering ALCAR by mouth together with propionyl-L-carnitine.
Sexual dysfunction, depression, and fatigue were all improved with ALCAR, where testosterone was on the decline.
6. Male Infertility Can Also Be Treated With ALCAR
The rate of pregnancy may be maximized in men with fertility issues as sperm motion is increased when taking ALCAR and L-carnitine.
This combination is also useful in improving sperm count and sperm movement in men with fertility issues due to the swollen prostate gland, epididymis, and seminal vesicles when taken after non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) treatment.
Where men experience infertility due to a reduction in sperm movement, taking ALCAR, L-carnitine, L-arginine, and Panax ginseng together is known to increase sperm movement.
7. t Can Help Men Treat Peyronie’s Disease
ALCAR is proven to be more beneficial in pain reduction and slowing down the effects of Peyronie’s disease than the tamoxifen drug.
Be Aware Of Potential Concerns
Supplementing with ALCAR comes with so many excellent benefits in maintaining your mental wellbeing and health, it is important to be aware of possible risks.
While ALCAR is particularly safe in standard doses, it is also received by many without issues. Toxicity is of no concern; however, minor side effects may be experienced with high dosages. Let’s quickly take a look at the possible risks which could arise with a high dose of ALCAR.
- Nausea: this is a common side effect that can be resolved by administering ALCAR with food.
- Headaches
- Dry Mouth
- Restlessness
Who Should Be Taking ALCAR As A Supplement?
Well, it depends on how much your body is producing and how much you are eating.
Vegans and vegetarians may have lower levels of ALCAR in their systems due to avoiding or restricting the consumption of animal products. People who fall into this category should consider ALCAR supplementation. There are no studies to confirm the benefits of acetyl-L-carnitine supplementation for vegans or vegetarians.
Elderly people may positively benefit from ALCAR supplementation as these levels tend to decrease with age. ALCAR boosts brain health, muscle function, and reduces fatigue in older people.
ALCAR supplementation may also be of benefit if you are fighting against diseases like kidney disease or cirrhosis.
Do Not Take ALCAR if you…
Are breastfeeding or pregnant – not enough research exists to suggest that ALCAR is safe for use during this time, and it should rather be avoided in order to prevent potential issues.
Suffer from neuropathy due to chemotherapy as ALCAR may exacerbate symptoms. Chemotherapy drugs called taxanes may react with ALCAR and worsen the nerve pain experienced in some people.
Experience seizures – ALCAR administered intravenously (IV) or by mouth by individuals with a history of seizures actually reported an increase to occur in the number of the severity of seizures.
Suffer from Hyperthyroidism – ALCAR might interfere with the thyroid hormone.
Does ALCAR React with Other Medication?
Acenocoumarol (Sintrom)
ALCAR should not be taken in combination with Acenocoumarol (Sintrom) as there is a significant risk of bruising as well as bleeding.
Acenocoumarol (Sintrom) is administered to slow blood clotting in individuals, and ALCAR may escalate the effectiveness of acenocoumarol (Sintrom). And this may increase the effectiveness of acenocoumarol (Sintrom). When the effectiveness of this drug is increased, it slows blood clotting at a higher rate, therefore bruising and bleeding may occur.
Acenocoumarol (Sintrom) doses may need adjustments.
Warfarin
You should seek the advice of your healthcare provider if you are considering ALCAR supplementation whilst you are using Warfarin medication.
Warfarin (Coumadin) is also used to reduce blood clotting, and ALCAR may further intensify the effects of warfarin to maximize your chances of bruising and bleeding.
It is best to review your INR (International Normalized Ratio) blood levels with your health care professional regularly. The dose of Warfarin may need to be changed to allow for ALCAR supplementation.
ALCAR Dosage
Standard ALCAR dosage suggestions range from 1000 – 3000 mg per day.
Some users report splitting ALCAR into two or more doses during the day whilst other uses suggest taking one dose in the morning for daytime peak in brain function.
Your usual sleep cycle may be disrupted if you take ALCAR in the evening.
Dosing Recommendations
Scientific Research was conducted for the following doses:
For declining thinking skills and memory loss related to aging, a daily dose of 1500-2000 mg of acetyl-L-carnitine was used for a period of 3 months.
Fatigue in older adults were treated with 2 grams of acetyl-L-carnitine twice per day for a period of 180 days.
A daily dose of 2 grams of acetyl-L-carnitine has been used daily for 90 days to help treat a decline in thinking skills and memory loss in older people that is out of the ordinary for their age.
A daily dose of 1500-3000 mg of acetyl-L-carnitine has been taken by mouth split into two or three doses for 3-12 months to treat Alzheimer's disease.
A daily dose of 1-4 grams of acetyl-L-carnitine for a period of up to 60 days was used for depression. For increased effect, a higher dose was used.
Intravenous (by IV) administration of 1-3 grams of acetyl-L-carnitine for 10 days, and then 3 grams of acetyl-L-carnitine was taken by mouth daily, for 80 days to treat alcohol use disorder.
Low testosterone levels in men were treated with a daily dose of 2 grams of acetyl-L-carnitine and 2 grams of propionyl-L-carnitine for a period of 6 months.
A daily divided dose of 1500-3000 mg of acetyl-L-carnitine was taken by mouth for a period of up to a year to treat diabetic neuropathy, which refers to diabetic people who suffer from nerve pain. Certain instances required a direct injection of 1000 mg of acetyl-L-carnitine into the muscles for 10-15 days before administering by mouth.
A daily dose of 1 gram of acetyl-L-carnitine and 2 grams of L-carnitine is used to treat male infertility.
Every 12 hours, 500 mg of acetyl-L-carnitine and 1 gram of L-carnitine was used to treat male infertility after 2 months of treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
A blend of daily doses of 1660 mg of L-arginine, 150 mg of L-carnitine, 50 mg of acetyl-L-carnitine, and 200 mg of Panax ginseng was taken for up to 3 months to help treat male infertility related to decreased sperm movement.
A daily blend of 1660 mg of L-arginine, 150 mg of L-carnitine, 50 mg of acetyl-L-carnitine, and 200 mg of Panax ginseng for up to 6 months together with 600 mg of prulifloxacin was used to help treat male infertility related to prostate swelling as a result of Chlamydia infection.
A daily dose of a certain product (Proxeed Plus, Alfasigma USA) which contained 1 gram of L-carnitine, and 0.5 gram of acetyl-L-carnitine, with zinc, citric acid, selenium, vitamin C, coenzyme Q10, folic acid, and vitamin B12, had to be taken twice per day for a period of 6 months to treat male infertility with low sperm numbers and movement, as well as abnormally shaped sperm.
A daily dose of 1 gram of acetyl-L-carnitine was taken twice a day for a period of 3 months to treat Peyronie disease in men.
A daily dose of 1-3 grams of acetyl-L-carnitine was administered by IV over 3-4 hours for a period of 10 days. Subsequently, a daily dose of 3 grams of acetyl-L-carnitine was taken by mouth daily for a period of 80 days.
A daily dose of 1000 mg of acetyl-L-carnitine was administered as a shot for a period of 10-15 days. Daily doses of 2000 mg of acetyl-L-carnitine was administered by mouth for a period of 12 months following the shots in certain instances for diabetic neuropathy patients.
Final Words
ALCAR displays beneficial effects on the brain and more! Supplementing at an early stage of your life could potentially help you alleviate symptoms of brain function in a variety of diseases.
Always consult with your doctor first before taking any supplements to play it safe!
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I’m Daniel. Just an average guy trying to share his love for nootropics, biohacking, and life optimization. Follow me on my journey to learning how I use nootropics on a daily basis.