The Effect of L-carnitine Supplementation on Blood Pressure in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial

Abstract Objective(s) Diabetic patients with hypertension are at a high risk of cardiovascular complications. The present study made an attempt to determine the effect of oral L-carnitine supplementation on blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Materials and methods In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 70 patients with T2DM at the age range of 41 to 75 years were randomly allocated to two groups: L-carnitin group (LG) (n = 35) receiving 1000 mg/day L-carnitin, and placebo group (PG) (n =35) receiving 1000 mg/day wheat starch as placebo for 12 weeks. The systolic and diastolic blood pressures, mean arterial blood pressure and pulse pressure were examined before and after the intervention. Results Sixty-four participants completed the study. At the end of the study period, LG compared with the PG, showed no significant difference in SBP (-1.14±2.45 mmHg vs. -2.42±2.79 mmHg), DBP (-3.2±1.94 mmHg vs. -6±2.30 mmHg), MAP (-2.51±1.84 mmHg vs. -4.80±2.11 mmHg) and PP (2.05±2.23 mmHg vs. 3.57±2.73 mmHg). Conclusion The oral supplementation of L-carnitine 1000 mg/day fails to affect blood pressure after 12 weeks of treatment in diabetes patients. *This was a randomized, controlled clinical trial (RCT) which was registered 28 October 2017 in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials ( http://www.irct.ir , identifer: IRCT2017100936681N1).