ArticleNutrition & metabolism2022
Progression of atherosclerosis with carnitine supplementation: a randomized controlled trial in the metabolic syndrome.
Article in Nutrition & metabolism, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02117661 (ECoM Study), which is not on this map. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
ECoM Study: Effect of Carnitine Supplementation on Progression of Carotid Plaque in the Metabolic Syndrome.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Oxidative Stress and Male Infertility: A Critical Analysis of Current Diagnostic and Therapeutic Methods.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Phenylacetic Acid, a Gut Microbially Produced Metabolite, Reduces Atherosclerosis Burden and Impacts Host Lipid Homeostasis.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2026Article
- Risk prediction and prevention in patients with advanced subclinical atherosclerosis.BMC cardiovascular disorders · 2026Review
- MLN4924 inhibits macrophage foam cell formation by enhancing autophagy and regulating metabolic phenotype.Lipids in health and disease · 2025Article
- Review
- Carotid plaque score is associated with 10-year major adverse cardiovascular events in low-intermediate risk patients referred to a general cardiology community clinic.European heart journal. Cardiovascular Imaging · 2025Article
- Review
- Relationship of Acylcarnitines to Myocardial Ischemic Remodeling and Clinical Manifestations in Chronic Heart Failure.Journal of cardiovascular development and disease · 2023Article
- Spatial Metabolomics and the Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque.Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology · 2023Article
- Spatially Resolved Metabolites in Stable and Unstable Human Atherosclerotic Plaques Identified by Mass Spectrometry Imaging.Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundL-carnitine (L-C), a ubiquitous nutritional supplement, has been investigated as a potential therapy for cardiovascular disease, but its effects on human atherosclerosis are unknown. Clinical studies suggest improvement of some cardiovascular risk factors, whereas others show increased plasma levels of pro-atherogenic trimethylamine N-oxide. The primary aim was to determine whether L-C therapy led to progression or regression of carotid total plaque volume (TPV) in participants with metabolic syndrome (MetS).
methodsThis was a phase 2, prospective, double blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, two-center trial. MetS was defined as ≥ 3/5 cardiac risk factors: elevated waist circumference; elevated triglycerides; reduced HDL-cholesterol; elevated blood pressure; elevated glucose or HbA1c; or on treatment. Participants with a baseline TPV ≥ 50 mm
resultsThe primary outcome was the percent change in TPV over 6 months. In 157 participants (L-C N = 76, placebo N = 81), no difference in TPV change between arms was found. The L-C group had a greater increase in carotid atherosclerotic stenosis of 9.3% (p = 0.02) than the placebo group. There was a greater increase in total cholesterol and LDL-C levels in the L-C arm.
conclusionsThough total carotid plaque volume did not change in MetS participants taking L-C over 6-months, there was a concerning progression of carotid plaque stenosis. The potential harm of L-C in MetS and its association with pro-atherogenic metabolites raises concerns for its further use as a potential therapy and its widespread availability as a nutritional supplement.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02117661, Registered April 21, 2014, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02117661 .
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.