Are High Blood Carnitine Levels and COVID-19 Outcomes Associated?

Hyperactive immune response in severe COVID-19 cases results in an overproduction of various proinflammatory cytokines. Cytokine overproduction causes the body to attack its cells, leading to autoimmune diseases and, in worst cases, multiple organ damage. Carnitine, derived from an amino acid, downregulates the proinflammatory cytokines and helps prevent disease progression.

According to a study published on the preprint platform, medRxiv, researchers at the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU), Bristol Medical School, UK, have found that the high concentration of carnitine and its metabolite, acetyl-carnitine, in the blood can protect against severe COVID-19 outcomes. The researchers used Mendelian randomization analyses of publicly available data from a large genome-wide association study (GWAS) to investigate the effect of carnitine and acetyl-carnitine on reducing the severity of…