Acetyl-L-Carnitine Hydrochloride vs. L-Carnitine Hydrochloride
Among 2,330 on-market l-carnitine products with an identifiable primary form, 23.3% use Acetyl-L-Carnitine Hydrochloride (542 products) and 1.6% use L-Carnitine Hydrochloride (38).
| Acetyl-L-Carnitine Hydrochloride | L-Carnitine Hydrochloride | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality tier | Unrated | Unrated |
| L-Carnitine by weight | 67.3% | 81.6% |
| Share of market | 23.3% | 1.6% |
| On-market products | 542 | 38 |
| Median declared dose | 336.5 mg middle half: 134.6–400.15 | 250 mg middle half: 78.3–500 |
| Most common brands | Core Nutritionals, Vitamin World, Gamma Labs | BulkSupplements.com, Nutrex Research Basix Series, Moss Nutrition |
Doses are declared per serving in mg. “By weight” is the share of the ingredient that is the nutrient itself (e.g. elemental magnesium in a magnesium salt).
Why Acetyl-L-Carnitine Hydrochloride is unrated
Same ALC molecule as a hydrochloride salt; no human comparison of salts.
Source: Sima AA et al. 2005, PMID 15616239
Why L-Carnitine Hydrochloride is unrated
No head-to-head human bioavailability or efficacy comparison of this form was located in PubMed searches.
Tiers summarize published comparative bioavailability or outcome evidence for each form (see methodology).
This page describes the market; it is not a recommendation to take either form. Talk to a clinician about what's right for you.
Other l-carnitine comparisons
- L-Carnitine L-Tartrate vs. Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC)
- L-Carnitine L-Tartrate vs. Acetyl-L-Carnitine Hydrochloride
- L-Carnitine L-Tartrate vs. L-Carnitine Fumarate
- L-Carnitine L-Tartrate vs. L-Carnitine Hydrochloride
- Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC) vs. Acetyl-L-Carnitine Hydrochloride
- Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC) vs. L-Carnitine Fumarate
- Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC) vs. L-Carnitine Hydrochloride
- Acetyl-L-Carnitine Hydrochloride vs. L-Carnitine Fumarate
- L-Carnitine Fumarate vs. L-Carnitine Hydrochloride