ArticleBMC medicine2022
L-carnitine, a friend or foe for cardiovascular disease? A Mendelian randomization study.
Article in BMC medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 41 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mendelian randomization studies on ischemic stroke: a field synopsis and systematic review.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Pooled it
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- Berberine signature and cardiometabolic diseases using randomized controlled trial, cohort study and Mendelian randomization.NPJ cardiovascular health · 2026Article
- Study of the L-Carnitine Effect on Myocardial Bioelectrical Activity by Microelectrode Arrays and Artificial Intelligence Application.Journal of cardiovascular translational research · 2025Article
- Beyond one-size-fits-all: addressing sex differences and promoting inclusive leadership in cardiovascular research and healthcare.BMC medicine · 2025Review
- The role of phenylalanine and tyrosine in longevity: a cohort and Mendelian randomization study.Aging · 2025Article
- Exploring the Comparative Impact of Red and White Meat on Cardiovascular Diseases: A Global Cross-Sectional Ecological Study.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Derivatives of the Clinically Used HIF Prolyl Hydroxylase Inhibitor Desidustat Are Efficient Inhibitors of Human γ-Butyrobetaine Hydroxylase.Journal of medicinal chemistry · 2025Article
- The Lower Concentration of Plasma Acetyl-Carnitine in Epicardial Artery Disease-A Preliminary Report.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Review
- Regenerative therapies for myocardial infarction: exploring the critical role of energy metabolism in achieving cardiac repair.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2025Review
- Advances in cardiovascular supplementation: mechanisms, efficacy, and clinical perspectives.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2025Review
- Article
- Carnitine is a friend in HFpEF and foe in HFrEF.iScience · 2024Article
- 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.Diabetology & metabolic syndrome · 2024Review
- Genetics, transcriptomics, metagenomics, and metabolomics in the pathogenesis and prediction of atrial fibrillation.European heart journal supplements : journal of the European Society of Cardiology · 2024Article
- The Relationship between Changes inJournal of cardiovascular development and disease · 2023Review
- Causal effects of COVID-19 on structural changes in specific brain regions: a Mendelian randomization study.BMC medicine · 2023Article
- Total meat (flesh) supply may be a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases worldwide.Food science & nutrition · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundL-carnitine is emerging as an item of interest for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention and treatment, but controversy exists. To examine the effectiveness and safety of L-carnitine, we assessed how genetically different levels of L-carnitine are associated with CVD risk and its risk factors. Given higher CVD incidence and L-carnitine in men, we also examined sex-specific associations.
methodsWe used Mendelian randomization to obtain unconfounded estimates. Specifically, we used genetic variants to predict L-carnitine, and obtained their associations with coronary artery disease (CAD), ischemic stroke, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation, as well as CVD risk factors (type 2 diabetes, glucose, HbA1c, insulin, lipid profile, blood pressure and body mass index) in large consortia and established cohorts, as well as sex-specific association in the UK Biobank. We obtained the Wald estimates (genetic association with CVD and its risk factors divided by the genetic association with L-carnitine) and combined them using inverse variance weighting. In sensitivity analysis, we used different analysis methods robust to pleiotropy and replicated using an L-carnitine isoform, acetyl-carnitine.
resultsGenetically predicted L-carnitine was nominally associated with higher risk of CAD overall (OR 1.07 per standard deviation (SD) increase in L-carnitine, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.11) and in men (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.16) but had a null association in women (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.09). These associations were also robust to different methods and evident for acetyl-carnitine.
conclusionsOur findings do not support a beneficial association of L-carnitine with CVD and its risk factors but suggest potential harm. L-carnitine may also exert a sex-specific role in CAD. Consideration of the possible sex disparity and exploration of the underlying pathways would be worthwhile.
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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.