Coral Carnitine is a dietary supplement manufactured in the USA for Coral Club. Each capsule carries 400 mg of acetyl-L-carnitine, and the bottle holds 180 capsules.
How long a bottle lasts
Coral Club directs one capsule twice a day with a meal, so the daily amount is 800 mg. A bottle of 180 covers 90 days at that rate.
What the manufacturer states
According to Coral Club, carnitine plays a key role in energy production by transporting long-chain fatty acids into mitochondria, which helps support cellular energy metabolism.* The card adds that carnitine is naturally concentrated in muscle and heart tissues and may help support cardiovascular health as part of a healthy lifestyle.*
Coral Club also states the formula may help support immune health, mental and physical performance, and weight management when combined with a healthy diet and exercise regimen.*
One finding worth knowing before a long course
Carnitine taken by mouth is partly metabolized by gut bacteria into trimethylamine N-oxide, usually abbreviated TMAO. Published work has linked higher TMAO levels to cardiovascular risk, and a systematic review of carnitine supplementation treats this as the main open question hanging over long-term use. Sources are listed under Research.
Worth weighing against the card's own cardiovascular wording rather than instead of it: the evidence points in both directions, and a physician is the right person to consult before a course measured in months.
Acetyl-L-carnitine and plain L-carnitine are not the same thing
The label names the acetylated form specifically. Acetyl-L-carnitine carries an acetyl group that plain L-carnitine does not, and the two are studied for overlapping but not identical purposes — much of the work on exercise and body composition uses L-carnitine tartrate, while the acetylated form appears more often in work on cognitive endpoints.
Several of the sources listed under Research concern carnitine broadly rather than the acetylated form alone, which is worth keeping in mind when reading them against this label.
Formulation and labels
The capsule shell is hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. Microcrystalline cellulose, silicon dioxide and magnesium stearate from a vegetable source complete the formula. Coral Club declares the product gluten free and free of soy; beyond those two the card makes no allergen statement.
Storage and shelf life
Shelf life is 2 years from the date of manufacture. Store in a dry place, protected from direct sunlight, at a temperature not exceeding 77°F, out of reach of children.