Vitamin C, Carnitine, and Body Fat Want to get rid of body fat? Then just move fat molecules to the place in tissue cells where fat is oxidized. Easy. But to make that happen you'll need a fat molecule mover called carnitine. Fortunately, there's an easy way to help manufacture carnitine in your body: Just keep your vitamin C levels high. Arizona State University researchers tested this fat-burning process with a study in which dieters were given a vitamin C supplement of 500 mg daily or a placebo. During the four-week trial, blood tests showed that as vitamin C concentrations dropped in the placebo group, ability to oxidize fat also decreased compared to the supplement group. Higher vitamin C intake was not associated with any greater weight loss than in the placebo group, but subjects in the C group burned off more fat. The next step for the Arizona State team is a trial that will compare vitamin C deficiency to a tendency to increase body fat. Researchers believe that about 15 percent of Americans suffer from C deficiency. That number is about 200 percent higher than it was in 1980. "Vitamin C Depletion Correlates With Lower Body Fat, Not Weight Loss During Short-Term Diet" Eureka Alert, 4/3/06, eurekalert.org | 
