World J Meta-Anal. Feb 28, 2020; 8(1): 4-14 Published online Feb 28, 2020. doi: 10.13105/wjma.v8.i1.4
L-carnitine supplementation in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Prarthana Thiagarajan, Jane Chalmers, Lu Ban, Douglas Grindlay, Guruprasad P Aithal
Prarthana Thiagarajan, Jane Chalmers, Lu Ban, Guruprasad P Aithal, National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
Prarthana Thiagarajan, Jane Chalmers, Lu Ban, Guruprasad P Aithal, Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
Douglas Grindlay, Centre for Evidence Based Dermatology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Thiagarajan P designed the study and wrote the manuscript; Grindlay D assisted with systematic literature search; Thiagarajan P and Chalmers J performed data extraction and quality assessment; Ban L performed the meta-analysis; Aithal G is senior author, provided critical feedback and helped to shape the research, analysis and manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors declare that they have no competing interests.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Corresponding author: Prarthana Thiagarajan, MBBS, MRCP, Academic Fellow, Specialist Registrar in Gastroenterology, National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Nottingham, E Floor West Block Queens Medical Centre Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom. prarthana.thiagarajan@nottingham.ac.uk
Received: October 22, 2019 Peer-review started: October 22, 2019 First decision: December 5, 2019 Revised: December 17, 2019 Accepted: February 15, 2020 Article in press: February 15, 2020 Published online: February 28, 2020 Processing time: 129 Days and 1.4 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) presents a major public health challenge. As a leading cause of abnormal liver chemistry, rising in prevalence together with obesity and insulin resistance, there is critical unmet need to identify cost-effective, population-based treatment. We synthesised evidence from randomised trials published to date evaluating the effect of dietary L-carnitine supplementation on transaminases, liver fat and insulin resistance in NAFLD. We demonstrate a significant reduction in serum alanine aminotransferase, homeostasis model of insulin resistance and liver fat with dietary L-carnitine supplementation. L-carnitine could therefore present a novel therapeutic tool for NAFLD and its metabolic associations.
