L-Carnitine and Reduced Triglyceride Levels

Research synthesisModerate evidenceSmall effect8 studies · 5 beneficial · 3 neutral · 0 harmful

Across 8 studies, 5 reported beneficial effects of L-carnitine on reducing triglyceride levels, with effect sizes predominantly small. Benefits were most consistently observed in clinical populations such as women with PCOS and adults with metabolic conditions, with median study duration of 70 days. The most commonly effective dose ranged from 1000–3000 mg/day.

Effective dose range: 1000-3000 mg/day
Studied populations: women with PCOS, adults with impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes, hemodialysis patients

Caveats: Available evidence is overwhelmingly positive — clinical literature in this area is subject to publication bias (null-result studies are less likely to be published or indexed). Benefits were observed primarily in clinical populations, so generalizability to healthy individuals is uncertain.

Generated Jul 15, 2026

Doses used in studies

L-Carnitine · mg/day: 3,000 (median 3,000, IQR 3,000–3,000) — 1 study
g/day: 2 (median 2, IQR 2–2) — 1 study
mg/day: 1,000 (median 1,000, IQR 1,000–1,000) — 1 study
mg/kg/day: 50 (median 50, IQR 50–50) — 1 study

Time to effect

Median: 10 weeks · IQR 8 weeks–11 weeks · Range 6 weeks–2.8 months — Reported in 3 of 8 studies

8 of 8 papersPopulation:

Adding L-carnitine to antagonist ovarian stimulation doesn't improve the outcomes of IVF/ ICSI cycle in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome: a double-blind randomized clinical trial.
- 2024-01-09
- RCT · n = 110
- Journal of ovarian research 17(1)
- - Maryam Hafezi
  - Arezoo Arabipoor
  - Firouzeh Ghaffari
  - Samira Vesali
  - Maryam Zareei
  - Zahra Hajinaghibali Hessari
- PubMed: 38191449
- DOI: 10.1186/s13048-023-01319-7
13 Insights on
- Reduced Triglyceride Levels
- High evidence
- Large Human Trial
- Clinical
triglyceride (P < 0.001) … have significantly decreased in women after consuming L-carnitine supplementation
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Significant
Yes
Dose
3000 mg/day (3 tablets daily of 1000 mg L-carnitine)
Effects of L-carnitine supplementation for women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- 2022-09-16
- Meta-Analysis · n = 995
- PeerJ 10
- - Mohd Falihin Mohd Shukri
  - Mohd Noor Norhayati
  - Salziyan Badrin
  - Azidah Abdul Kadir
- PubMed: 36132218
- DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13992
5 Insights on
- Reduced Triglyceride Levels
- High evidence
- Rigorous Journal
- Clinical
serum triglyceride (TG) (MD -9.00, 95% CI [-11.46 to -6.54]; P = 0.00001)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Small
Significant
Yes
The effect of L-carnitine supplementation on insulin resistance, sex hormone-binding globulin and lipid profile in overweight/obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized clinical trial.
- 2021-11-02
- RCT
- European journal of nutrition 61(3)
- - Abbas Ali Sangouni
  - Fatemeh Pakravanfar
  - Akram Ghadiri-Anari
  - Azadeh Nadjarzadeh
  - Hossein Fallahzadeh
  - Mahdieh Hosseinzadeh
- PubMed: 34727201
- DOI: 10.1007/s00394-021-02659-0
7 Insights on
- Reduced Triglyceride Levels
- High evidence
- Rigorous Journal
- Clinical
there was no significant differences between the two groups in serum levels of triglyceride (P > 0.05)
Effect
Neutral
Effect size
Small
Significant
No
Dose
1000 mg/day
Effects of L-carnitine supplementation on glucolipid metabolism: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- 2023
- Meta-Analysis
- Food & function 14(5)
- - Yanfei Li
  - Yuchen Xie
  - Chensheng Qiu
  - Bowen Yu
  - Fangzheng Yang
  - Yuanchao Cheng
  - Weizhen Zhong
  - Junhua Yuan
- PubMed: 36815696
- DOI: 10.1039/d2fo02930h
9 Insights on
- Reduced Triglyceride Levels
- High evidence
- Rigorous Journal
- Adults
significant effects of L-carnitine on ... TG (MD = -11.22 mg dL-1, 95% CI: -19.21 to -3.22)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Small
Significant
Yes
Effects of L-carnitine supplementation on lipid profile in adult patients under hemodialysis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs.
- 2024-12-02
- Systematic Review · n = 28
- Frontiers in medicine 11
- - Mehdi Karimi
  - Samira Pirzad
  - Seyed Morteza Ali Pourfaraji
  - Peyvand Parhizkar Roudsari
  - Niyousha Shirsalimi
  - Sajad Ahmadizad
- PubMed: 39687901
- DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1454921
6 Insights on
- Reduced Triglyceride Levels
- High evidence
- Clinical
There were no significant differences in the mean change of TG (SMD: -0.006; 95% CI, -0.272 to 0.259; P = 0.95)
Effect
Neutral
Effect size
Small
Significant
No
The effects of L-carnitine supplementation on cardiovascular risk factors in participants with impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.
- 2024-07-31
- Review · n = 2,900
- Diabetology & metabolic syndrome 16(1)
- - Rezvan Gheysari
  - Mahlagha Nikbaf-Shandiz
  - Amir Mehdi Hosseini
  - Niloufar Rasaei
  - Shabnam Hosseini
  - Hossein Bahari
  - Omid Asbaghi
  - Samira Rastgoo
  - Kian Goudarzi
  - Farideh Shiraseb
  - Reza Behmadi
- PubMed: 39085907
- DOI: 10.1186/s13098-024-01415-8
11 Insights on
- Reduced Triglyceride Levels
- High evidence
L-carnitine supplementation had a significant effect on TG (WMD = - 13.50 mg/dl, p = 0.039)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Small
Significant
Yes
The effect of L-carnitine supplementation on lipid profile in adults: an umbrella meta-analysis on interventional meta-analyses.
- 2023-09-04
- Systematic Review
- Frontiers in nutrition 10
- - Vali Musazadeh
  - Hanie Alinejad
  - Niloofar Kouhi Esfahani
  - Zeynab Kavyani
  - Majid Keramati
  - Neda Roshanravan
  - Erfan Mosharkesh
  - Parvin Dehghan
- PubMed: 37727632
- DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1214734
4 Insights on
- Reduced Triglyceride Levels
- High evidence
triglycerides (TG) (ES = -2.51 mg/dL; 95% CI: -3.62, -1.39, p < 0.001)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Small
Significant
Yes
Dose
more than 2 g/day
Effect of L-carnitine supplementation on lipid profile and apolipoproteins in children on hemodialysis: a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial.
- 2021-05-26
- RCT · n = 30
- Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany) 36(11)
- - Fatemeh Hamedi-Kalajahi
  - Meysam Zarezadeh
  - Sayed Yousef Mojtahedi
  - Sakineh Shabbidar
  - Dariyoosh Fahimi
  - Hossein Imani
- PubMed: 34037885
- DOI: 10.1007/s00467-021-05080-1
7 Insights on
- Reduced Triglyceride Levels
- High evidence
- Clinical
No significant changes were observed in serum TG and HDL-C levels.
Effect
Neutral
Effect size
Small
Significant
No
Dose
50 mg/kg/day