L-carnitine reduces severity of physical and mental fatigue and improves daily activities in the elderly.

摘要

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disabling illness that afflicts the elderly and influences their daily activities. The evaluation and treatment of fatigue has been fraught with frustration and oftentimes, a sense of failure. Patients diagnosed with fatigue are often disappointed when advised to merely, "get more rest."Carnitine plays an important role in the production and distribution of cellular energy.2 We evaluated the ef-. feet of exogenous L-carnitine on fatigue and on the activities of daily living (ADL) of 80 elderly subjects (Table 1). Forty-one subjects were given L-carnitine (4 g/d) and the remainder were given a placebo throughout a 180-day period.