L-Carnitine L-Tartrate vs. L-Carnitine Fumarate
Among 2,330 on-market l-carnitine products with an identifiable primary form, 36.9% use L-Carnitine L-Tartrate (859 products) and 8.8% use L-Carnitine Fumarate (205).
| L-Carnitine L-Tartrate | L-Carnitine Fumarate | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality tier | Unrated | Unrated |
| L-Carnitine by weight | 68.2% | 58.1% |
| Share of market | 36.9% | 8.8% |
| On-market products | 859 | 205 |
| Median declared dose | 404.6 mg middle half: 150–682 | 200 mg middle half: 58.1–290.5 |
| Most common brands | GNC Pro Performance AMP, AdvoCare, Cellucor | Dr. Sinatra, Source Naturals, BulkSupplements.com |
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 L-Carnitine L-Tartrate is unrated
The form used in several RCTs (2g/day carnitine as LCLT in Volek 2008, 2g LCLT twice daily with carbohydrate in Wall 2011, which raised muscle carnitine 21%), but no human study comparing tartrate directly with free L-carnitine or other salts was located.
Source: Volek JS et al. 2008, Am J Cardiol 102(10):1413-7, PMID 18993165; Wall BT et al. 2011, J Physiol 589(4):963-73, PMID 21224234
Why L-Carnitine Fumarate is unrated
No head-to-head human bioavailability or efficacy comparison of this form was located in PubMed searches.
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 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
- Acetyl-L-Carnitine Hydrochloride vs. L-Carnitine Hydrochloride
- L-Carnitine Fumarate vs. L-Carnitine Hydrochloride