Background Non-essential nutrients, L-carnitine (carnitine) and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) have attracted much attention as supplements for anti-aging and improvement of metabolism. Although the levels of carnitine and CoQ10 in the body decrease with advancing age, dietitians do not consider intakes of these nutrients when they plan food prescription or menu for elderly people. In addition, there are...

Carnitine has a critical role in energy metabolism. Many of the functions of carnitine are not clearly elucidated and many of the regulatory mechanisms governing carnitine metabolism are ill-defined. Carnitine deficiency can be life threatening but may be resolved with carnitine supplementation. Various groups of individuals in addition to those with the classical carnitine deficiency syndrome ...

Guidelines in the diagnosis and current dietary treatment of long-chain fatty acid (LCFA) defects have been collected according to evidence-based medicine. Since the identification of carnitine and carnitine palmitoyltransferase deficiency more than 25 years ago, nearly every enzymatic step required for beta-oxidation has been associated with an inherited metabolic disorder. These disorders eff...

The authors studied a 53 year old woman and her 22 year old son with episodes of paroxysmal muscle cramps and dark urines lasting several hours related to high fat diet and strenuous physical exercise beginning on both at age 14 years. The father, paternal uncle, paternal grandfather and another son of the mother also had paroxysmal muscle cramps. The two studied cases showed normal findings fo...