L-carnitine ameliorated weight loss in fasting therapy: A propensity score-matched study

•l-carnitine can boost the positive effects of fasting therapy on weight loss.•l-carnitine can maintain the stability of blood pressure and reduce the risk of postural hypotension in fasting therapy.•Propensity matching was used to overcome retrospective bias in this study. l-carnitine infusion has been proven to reduce fasting-induced fatigue and hunger in patients with metabolic syndrome in our former study. However, the association between l-carnitine and clinical outcomes of fasting therapy is yet to be investigated. In this study, data from 192 patients who finished fasting therapy from September 2008 to July 2018 were reviewed, among which 142 patients received l-carnitine infusion in fasting regimen. Propensity matching was used to overcome retrospective bias. Patients’ anthropometric measurements and metabolic markers were evaluated. After propensity matching, 40 patients were included in each group. Weight (-4.05 ± 1.65 kg vs -3.25 ± 1.68 kg, P = 0.031) and BMI (-1.51±0.61 kg/m2 vs -1.20 ± 0.62 kg/m2, P = 0.036) decreased in both groups, but significantly more in l-carnitine group, while diastolic blood pressure (-1.67±9.82 mmHg vs -6.21±8.83 mmHg, P = 0.043) and triglycerides (-0.18±0.63 mmol/L vs -1.05±1.70 mmol/L, P = 0.007) decreased significantly more in non-l-carnitine group compared between groups, blood glucose did not differ significantly between groups. l-carnitine can boost the positive effects of fasting therapy on weight loss and maintain the stability of blood pressure.