Micronutrients & recovery
L-Carnosine supplementation (500 mg daily) improves cardiorespiratory fitness (peak VO2 and anaerobic threshold) in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) by buffering lactic acid and delaying muscular acidosis.
If you have heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, ask your doctor about L-Carnosine (500 mg daily). It may help your muscles handle exercise better by reducing acid buildup, potentially allowing you to exercise longer or harder. This is an add-on to your standard care, not a replacement.
Six months of supplementation with 500 mg L-Carnosine daily increased VO2 (mL/kg/min), percent predicted peak VO2(%), and VO2 at the anaerobic threshold (mL/kg/min) versus standard treatment in 50 patients with HFrEF... The authors surmised that the observed positive effects of L-carnosine on CRF were very likely due to the pH buffering effect, which delayed muscular acidosis [81].
Why this rating
Based on a single small randomized controlled trial (n=50) with mixed primary/secondary outcomes and noted caution by authors regarding within-group significance.
Source
Lifestyle Interventions with a Focus on Nutritional Strategies to Increase Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Heart Failure, Obesity, Sarcopenia, and Frailty
Hayley Billingsley et al. · Nutrients · 2019
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