Does L-carnitine reduce morbidity and mortality in patients who have experienced an acute myocardial infarction?
Mayo Clin Proc · 2013 · PMID 23597877 · DOI 10.1016/j.mayocp.2013.02.007
L-carnitine may reduce mortality, ventricular arrhythmias, and angina after a heart attack, but more research is needed.
The question
Does L-carnitine reduce morbidity and mortality in patients who have experienced an acute myocardial infarction?
What they tested
The study implicitly hypothesizes that L-carnitine, compared to placebo or control, will reduce adverse cardiovascular outcomes such as mortality, ventricular arrhythmias, angina, heart failure, and reinfarction in patients with acute myocardial infarction.
How they did it
A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted, including 13 controlled trials with a total of 3629 participants. The researchers searched Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, and Embase databases for studies published between May 1, 2012, and August 31, 2012. The effects of L-carnitine versus placebo or control on mortality, ventricular arrhythmias (VAs), angina, heart failure, and reinfarction were evaluated.
What they found
L-carnitine was associated with a 27% reduction in all-cause mortality, a 65% reduction in ventricular arrhythmias, and a 40% reduction in the development of angina. There was no significant reduction in the development of heart failure or myocardial reinfarction.
| All-cause mortality reduction | 27 | |
|---|---|---|
| Ventricular arrhythmia reduction | 65 | |
| Angina reduction | 40 | |
| Heart failure reduction | 0 | |
| Myocardial reinfarction reduction | 0 |
L-carnitine significantly reduced all-cause mortality, ventricular arrhythmias, and angina, but not heart failure or myocardial reinfarction.
What it means
L-carnitine is associated with a significant reduction in all-cause mortality, ventricular arrhythmias, and anginal symptoms in patients who have experienced an acute myocardial infarction.
Limitations
The abstract does not explicitly state limitations of the meta-analysis, but it suggests that further large randomized controlled trials are warranted, implying a need for more robust evidence.
Where the published abstract does not list limitations, we say so rather than inventing them. Read the full paper on PubMed before drawing conclusions.
The paper at a glance
| Title | L-carnitine in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease: systematic review and meta-analysis |
|---|---|
| Journal | Mayo Clin Proc |
| Year | 2013 |
| PMID | 23597877 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.mayocp.2013.02.007 ↗ |
| Topic | Cardiovascular & vascular aging |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗
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L-Carnitine
Older and mostly small randomized trials, pooled in meta-analyses, suggest that L-carnitine given around the time of an acute myocardial infarction is associated with reduced all-cause mortality, ventricular arrhythmias and angina, and with attenuated left-ventricular dilation and smaller infarct size, effects…
L-carnitine is a naturally occurring, vitamin-like compound synthesized from the amino acids lysine and…
Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.
Molecules & mechanisms in this paper
Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). Does L-carnitine reduce morbidity and mortality in patients who have experienced an acute myocardial infarction? [Plain-English summary of Mayo Clin Proc 2013, PMID 23597877, DOI 10.1016/j.mayocp.2013.02.007]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/lcarnitine_cvd.html@misc{magellan_d23597877,
title = {Does L-carnitine reduce morbidity and mortality in patients who have experienced an acute myocardial infarction?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/lcarnitine_cvd.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 23597877; DOI 10.1016/j.mayocp.2013.02.007; Mayo Clin Proc 2013. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
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