title: Role of carnitine in utilization of dietary medium-chain triglycerides by term infants.
abstract: The role of carnitine in oxidation of dietary medium-chain fatty acids (as medium-chain triglycerides) was studied in term human infants. Infants were fed, alternately, formulas with fat content that was predominantly long-chain triglycerides, or 40% medium-chain triglycerides. Urinary acylcarnitine excretion was significantly higher and the ratio of free to total carnitine was significantly lower when infants were fed the formula with medium-chain triglycerides. Two groups of 10 infants were fed a commercial soy-protein-based formula modified to contain 40% of fat calories as medium-chain triglycerides and with or without added L-carnitine. By 56 d, infants fed the formula without added L-carnitine excreted significantly more medium-chain dicarboxylic acids than did the same infants at 28 d and significantly more than infants consuming the carnitine-supplemented formula at either 28 or 56 d. Results are consistent with a role for carnitine in metabolism of dietary medium-chain triglycerides in infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City 52242.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Rebouche
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Panagides
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002331:Carnitine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003998:Dicarboxylic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003998:Dicarboxylic Acids; D005227:Fatty Acids; D014280:Triglycerides; D002331:Carnitine