Abstract
The effects were investigated of orally administering carnitine and voluntary exercise on the lipid metabolism of rats fed on a high-fat diet. Male Wistar rats weighing about 250 g were divided into non-exercise and exercise groups, and each group was subdivided into carnitine-treated (100 mg/day) and non-treated groups. The exercise groups were fed in a cage provided with a wheel for exercise. All the rats were fed on a high-fat diet for 4 weeks, the exercise and carnitine treatment being given during the latter 2 weeks.
The food intake increased after the carnitine treatment. Body weight gain and the quotient of abdominal adipose tissue/body weight only decreased in the exercise group. Both in the carnitinetreated exercise and non-exercise groups, serum triglyceride, and cholesterol, triglyceride and TBA value in the liver all decreased, while β-hydroxybutyric acid in the serum increased. In the carnitine-treated exercise group, serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, TBA value and lipids in the liver all decreased, while serum β-hydroxybutyric acid increased in comparison with the non-exercise control group. These results suggest that the oral administration of carnitine during exercise improved the lipid metabolism of rats.
