[Auntie Audrey]

I hardly ever eat any red meat, which contains carnitine, so I had been taking a daily L-carnitine supplement for energy and heart health.

A couple of years ago there was a research study stating that carnitine is actually bad for your heart, getting converted in your body to a compound which is associated with hardening of the arteries and heart disease. This was enough for Dr. Oz, who had been recommending carnitine, to change his mind:

http://blog.doctoroz.com/dr-oz-blog/...ng-l-carnitine

Here is an excerpt:

“Here’s how it works: After you ingest L-carnitine, it travels to your gut, and intestinal bacteria converts the L-carnitine into a substance called TMA, which then gets processed by the liver. The liver converts TMA into a compound that has been linked to plaque build-up in the arteries and heart disease. This conversion was most apparent in those who regularly ate red meat.”

Dr. Oz is now saying not to take carnitine at all, either in red meat or supplement form. Of course this provoked an opposite reaction from those who still defend taking carnitine. Here is a link to one example:

http://www.steadyhealth.com/articles...t-help-or-hurt

So what is one to do about the conflicting opinions? Since I was getting an energy boost from taking a carnitine supplement, I didn’t really want to eliminate it from my regimen unless the evidence was convincing. So I sort of hedged my bet by first reducing my daily dosage from 1500 mg to 500 mg, then down to 250 mg, but I don’t really feel much of an effect from this smaller dosage any more. I’m now thinking about eliminating it entirely.

If Dr. Oz is correct, and I’m not saying he is, then the carnitine issue would be another reason why eating red meat could be bad for your heart.