Effects of dietary protein intake on carnitine status in Thai men

Abstract

Healthy men receiving adequate intakes of energy and fat without protein and carnitine for 14 days had significantly higher mean 24-h urinary free, acyl, and total carnitine excretions than the control subjects. Hen egg was the sole source of protein in this study and constained 7.77 μmol of carnitine/100 g. The stress stimuli due to the lack of protein and carnitine intakes were alleviated with the protein intakes of 0.35, 0.50, 0.55, 0.65, 0.70, and 0.85 g/kg/d, evidenced by the significant decreases in the 3 forms of 24-h urinary carnitine excretions. Their significantly lower in the 3 forms of 24-h urinary carnitine excretions than the control subjects with carnitine intake of 176 μmol/d were due to their limited intakes of carnitine: 12-30 μmol/d. Their significant increases in urinary acylcarnitine/total carnitine ratios indicated the utilization of carnitine in fatty acid oxidation. © 2001 Elsevier Science Inc.