Hepatoprotective effect of combination of L-carnitine and magnesium-hydroxide in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients: a double-blinded randomized controlled pilot study

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of L-Carnitine in the context of fatty liver & elevated liver enzymes, published as a randomized controlled trial.

Shear-wave elastography was used to evaluate liver stiffness (LS).

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 22 participants taking part.

Lipid profile and serum insulin levels were monitored at baseline and at week 16 of treatment.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and pilot study.

The participants were allocated by chance, so the L-Carnitine group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Blinding on both sides kept the participants and researchers unaware of who received L-Carnitine.

Some participants received a placebo instead of L-Carnitine, giving a reference point.

It is described as a pilot, a small early test of whether a larger L-Carnitine study would be practical.

Weight, serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured monthly.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Carnitine, Magnesium, Pilot Projects, Magnesium Hydroxide, Alanine Transaminase and Aspartate Aminotransferases.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of L-Carnitine in 22 participants in people with fatty liver & elevated liver enzymes.

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 abstract goes on to report its results in about 5 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2022 (European review for medical and pharmacological sciences), a journal based in United States.

More context: the L-Carnitine compound page, Fatty liver & elevated liver enzymes research.