Increases in walking distance in patients with peripheral vascular disease treated with L-carnitine: A double-blind, cross-over study

Abstract

A double-blind, cross-over study was designed to evaluate the effects of L-carnitine in patients with peripheral vascular disease. After drug washout, 20 patients were randomly assigned to receive placebo or L-carnitine (2 g bid, orally) for a period of 3 weeks and were then crossed over to the other treatment for an additional 3 weeks. The effect on walking distance at the end of each treatment period was measured by treadmill test. Absolute walking distance rose from 174 ± 63 m with placebo to 306 ± 122 m (p