Effect of combined treatment with alpha-Lipoic acid and acetyl-L-carnitine on vascular function and blood pressure in patients with coronary artery disease

What Was Tested

Researchers studied L-Carnitine in the context of low blood pressure and orthostatic hypotension in this randomized controlled trial publication.

In a double-blind crossover study, the authors examined the effects of combined alpha-lipoic acid/acetyl-L-carnitine treatment and placebo (8 weeks per treatment) on vasodilator function and blood pressure in 36 subjects with coronary artery disease.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 36 subjects taking part.

The age groups tagged for this paper are middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and crossover.

Because people in this L-Carnitine study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

As a double-blind L-Carnitine study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with L-Carnitine could be set against what happens without it.

In the crossover set-up each of the subjects took both L-Carnitine and the comparison in turn, acting as their own control.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Acetylcarnitine, Analysis of Variance, Biomarkers, Blood Flow Velocity, Blood Pressure, Boston and Brachial Artery.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of L-Carnitine in 36 subjects in people with low blood pressure and orthostatic hypotension.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2007 (Journal of clinical hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.)), a journal based in United States.

More context: the L-Carnitine compound page, Low blood pressure and orthostatic hypotension research.