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Carnitine does not improve weight loss outcomes in valproate‐treated bipolar patients consuming an energy‐restricted, low‐fat diet
Author(s) -
Elmslie Jane L,
Porter Richard J,
Joyce Peter R,
Hunt Penelope J,
Mann Jim I
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
bipolar disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.285
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1399-5618
pISSN - 1398-5647
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-5618.2006.00345.x
Subject(s) - carnitine , weight loss , medicine , placebo , weight gain , valproic acid , randomized controlled trial , endocrinology , gastroenterology , epilepsy , body weight , psychiatry , obesity , alternative medicine , pathology
Objectives: Carnitine deficiency impairs fatty acid β ‐oxidation and may partly explain weight gain in valproate‐treated patients. The aim of this study was to determine whether l ‐carnitine supplementation improves weight loss outcomes in bipolar patients taking sodium valproate. Methods: Sixty bipolar patients with clinically significant weight gain thought to be related to sodium valproate, who had been taking sodium valproate for ≥6 months, were randomized to l ‐carnitine (15 mg/kg/day) or placebo for 26 weeks, in conjunction with a moderately energy‐restricted, low‐fat diet. The primary outcome measure was weight change. Results: l ‐carnitine had no effect on mean weight loss compared with placebo (−1.9 kg versus − 0.9 kg) ( F = 0.778, df = 1,58, p = 0.381). The number of people in each group able to lose any weight was identical ( = 0, p = 1.0); more patients in the carnitine group (nine versus five) achieved a clinically significant weight loss (≥5%) but this was not statistically significant (p = 1.0, Fisher's exact test). Conclusions: At the dose prescribed in this study carnitine supplementation did not improve weight loss outcomes in valproate‐treated bipolar patients consuming an energy‐restricted, low‐fat diet.