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There is no one nutrient better than another.
If we want the body to function efficiently, we must provide it with everything it needs, thus allowing it to achieve proper nutritional status. There is no single nutrient of superior importance in absolute terms: each, like a vast mosaic, exerts its own influence and occupies a specific role in achieving the resulting state of balance that is the basis of proper health.
It often happens that certain nutrients are unfairly "demonized"; sometimes, unfounded demonization leads consumers to choose less nutritious ingredients or foods that, when present in the right quantities, represent essential building blocks.
Fats: Vital Nutrients
Fats are a recurring target of some discrediting campaigns. Leaving aside some chemical characteristics that aren't essential for this discussion, fats (also called lipids) are the most energy-dense nutrient: they provide just over double the calories of carbohydrates and proteins. However, their high caloric content shouldn't be a reason to exclude or drastically reduce lipids from your diet, as they are actually essential nutrients for the human body.
What functions do fats perform?
The importance of fats is evident from the broad spectrum of functions they perform. They are a fundamental component of the cell membrane, a structure that allows the exchange of nutrients within the cell and provides physical protection to internal structures. They are essential for the synthesis of hormones we could not do without, participate in cellular communication, and perform general regulatory functions. They are used by our body for energy, especially between meals and during longer periods of fasting. They are also the main source of energy used in low-to-medium intensity and medium-to-long duration physical activities (e.g., endurance).
Once ingested through food, fats (like other nutrients) must be "reprocessed" in order to provide energy to the body in a specific location: the mitochondrion, considered the "energy power plant" of the cell.
Carnitine: A Critical Element in Fat Utilization
The first obstacle to effectively utilizing fats is their entry into the mitochondria, which would not occur without a key element: carnitine. This essentially transports them to the cellular energy center, thus allowing us to extract and obtain energy from fats from our diet or from our reserves.
Carnitine supplementation: a possible solution?
The physiological role of “intermediary” between the nutrient fat and its actual use for energy purposes exerted by carnitine may justify its supplementation in various contexts.
By improving the dynamics of energy use from fat, supplemental carnitine could be beneficial for subjects undergoing high levels of physical activity (especially endurance) and could also prove useful in reducing asthenia and generalized fatigue typical of periods of high work commitment or seasonal changes.
Stressful conditions related to work, sports commitments, and/or intellectual performance may represent valid situations in which to evaluate carnitine supplementation, which has also been shown to protect nerve cells from damage caused by increased free radicals; this latter aspect may also justify its use as a preventative measure against certain neurodegenerative diseases.
In summary, optimizing fat utilization through carnitine supplementation can be useful in various contexts, both for preventive purposes and in high-stress situations caused by intense sporting and/or work commitments. These contexts require increased energy levels to ensure a better perception of individual well-being. Finally, some evidence suggests that carnitine supplementation may "assist" low-calorie diets with the synergistic goal of promoting improved body composition.
