Acetyl-L-Carnitine | Renewal Research

Acetyl-L-Carnitine 500 mg.

For protecting the brain from aging, nothing tops acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC). Your body makes its own ALC. But production drops off with age. For optimum brain health, you need to maintain ALC at pre-decline levels. Studies indicate that in people over 40, ALC supplementation dramatically slows and even reverses cerebral aging. It resuscitates nerve cells and enhances memory, alertness, and learning. It restores mental vitality.

	COUNT	ADD
Acetyl-L-Carnitine 500 mg.	100 v-caps	$54.00
Suggested use: As a dietary supplement, one (1) or two (2) capsules two or three times per day, or as directed by a healthcare practitioner.

More information about Acetyl-L-Carnitine For further information about ALC, read this article by Dr. Timothy Smith.

According to one researcher, “We don’t know how much brain life extension we can get out of taking ALC, because nobody has been taking it supplementally for long enough to find out. But if animal studies are correct, we can expect a lot of extra 'brain years.’ ”

Acetyl-L-carnitine supercharges energy production in the mitochondria. In nerve cells, the mitochondria are concentrated in the terminal buds because this is where energy is needed for neurotransmitter synthesis. ALC literally loads up fat molecules in the cell’s cytoplasm (the viscuous substance inside the cell), hauls them through the mitochondrial membrane into the inside of the power plant, and drops them off right where they are burned to release energy. Like a train hauling coal to a power plant, ALC shuttles fuel to the furnaces of your brain.

ALC also assists in the production of acetylcholine, one of your body’s main neurotransmitters. Acetylcholine production declines with age, causing memory loss and cognitive decline. (The “acetyl” portion of acetylcholine comes from acetyl-L-carnitine. The “choline” portion comes from another neuronutrient, called phosphatidylcholine.)

But ALC goes beyond merely enhancing and maximizing brain energy and neurotransmitter production. For starters, it prevents age-related loss of nerve cells by shoring up brain structure. How does it do this? Once again, those all-important cell membranes loom large.

As you age, your cell membranes go through certain changes, such as losing fluidity and elasticity because of free radical damage. These changes have long been considered irreversible. For a nerve cell, that’s bad news. Because unlike all other types of cells, nerve cells can’t replicate. You’re born with a certain number of them, and once they’re gone, they’re gone.

The largest and potentially the most destructive free radicals are unleashed in the mitochondria during energy production, sort of like sparks from a fire. Since these particular free radicals hover right next to the mitochondrial membranes, they can easily oxidize the fats in these membranes —a process called lipid peroxidation—unless they are rapidly and efficiently snuffed out. (You can find out the rate at which lipid peroxidation occurs in your body by having your serum lipid peroxide level checked. This blood test can be performed at your local laboratory, but it requires a prescription.)

The job of protecting the mitochondrial membranes falls to coenzyme Q10 and glutathione. These two nutrients position themselves near the mitochondria, ready and able to neutralize free radicals. ALC serves as an able assistant to coenzyme Q10 and glutathione. A potent free radical scavenger in its own right, ALC protects nerve cells against oxidative stress and defends them against lipid peroxidation. With a helping hand from ALC, coenzyme Q10 and glutathione molecules are under much less stress. They’re free to protect your body elsewhere. That’s what I call antioxidant protection with a capital P.

ALC supports the mitochondria in another way as well: It repairs their run-down, worn-out membranes. In fact, ALC maintains the membranes of all nerve cell structures, including the terminal buds.

The presence of optimum amounts of ALC in the body translates into a host of benefits for the brain. Scientists say that ALC “promotes membrane stability,” “improves neuronal energetics,” “improves neuronal repair mechanisms,” and “restores age-related membrane changes.” We can simply call it age-proofing the brain.

ALC enhances nerve cell function, thus slowing brain aging.

The acetyl group can serve as a metabolic source of acetylcholine, a brain neurotransmitter. The L-carnitine component carries fatty acids into mitochondria of nerve, heart, and muscle cells for use in energy production. Other actions benefit membrane stability, production of nerve growth factor, and cerebral blood flow.