L-Carnitine decreases the risk of a blood clot in hemodialysis patients

     Kidney dialysis patients are prone to blood clots because their blood tends to coagulate. In this study thirty-six hemodialysis patients were randomly supplemented with L-Carnitine at 1000mg a day or with placebo for 12 weeks. In the L-Carnitine group plasma fibrinogen dropped 98mg/dl; fibrinogen is soluble in the blood but it converts to fibrin which forms a blood clot. C-Reactive protein, a proxy for inflammation, dropped by 41% on L-Carnitine. By decreasing fibrinogen and inflammation L-Carnitine is dropping the risk of having a stroke or heart attack or other blood clot related event. The study is published in the journal Renal Failure;32(9).