Acetyl L-Carnitine or ALCAR is often overlooked in the nootropic community. It is the acetylated form of the amino acid, L-Carnitine. By chemically altering L-Carnitine, the acetylated ALCAR is able to provide a fuller range of effects as well as higher bio-availability. There is some good information about ALCAR on this Longecity post.

Acetyl L-Carnitine vs. L-Carnitine

Unlike L-Carnitine, Acetyl L-Carnitine is known to have much stronger nootropic effects. L-Carnitine functions primarily as a transport agent of fatty acids between cells, which produces energy for the body. It also has a range of anti-oxidant and neuroprotective properties within the body. For these reasons, L-Carnitine is popular amongst athletes and people with low energy levels or ones looking for increased fat loss.

L-Carnitine can be converted to ALCAR within the body naturally. This process happens during exercise when L-Carnitine binds to excess Acetyl-CoA within the cells. Acetyl-CoA is a molecule extremely important in energy production but it is also important for cognitive function because it facilitates acetylcholine production. Acetyl L-Carnitine works as a transport agent of Acetyl-CoA in between cells, and increases it outside where it can bind to neurons responsible for the choline conversion process.

How Does Acetyl L-Carnitine Work as a Nootropic?

ALCAR when used alone can help increase the biosynthesis of choline to acetylcholine. Choline needs to bind with Acetyl-CoA to produce acetylcholine. This is done with the help of the enzyme, Choline Acetyltransferase (ChAT). Acetyl L-Carnitine increases the availability of Acetyl-CoA and therefore improves acetylcholine production indirectly.

Acetylcholine is an important cognitive neurotransmitter and the target of most popular nootropics like the racetams. If acetylcholine levels are low, the effectiveness of certain nootropics may be greatly reduced. This is because most racetams work as positive allosteric modulators of acetylcholine receptors. If insufficient free levels of acetylcholine are available, the nootropic effects may be less noticeable or non-apparent.

Choline and Acetyl L-Carnitine Stacking

Choline may be less effective when levels of Acetyl-CoA are low. Certain processes in the body may reduce the level of Acetyl-CoA. Using ALCAR in conjunction with a choline supplement may improve the acetylcholine conversion process and following release from ACh neurons.

Using a choline supplement like choline bitartrate in conjunction with Acetyl L-Carnitine is considered to be an effective acetylcholine boosting stack. Generally, this is a cheaper method than using more advanced acetylcholine supplements like alpha GPC and citicoline, which have a much higher acetylcholine conversion rate than choline alone.

So many people are using the choline + ALCAR stack to improve acetylcholine production and maybe reducing the problem of having too much choline. In terms of effectiveness, this stack is much superior to using choline alone and may be as effective, than acetylcholine supplements like alpha GPC and citicoline. This is a stack that many people overlook and it is also very affordable and effective. We highly recommend that you try the choline + ALCAR stack if you are on a tight budget and cannot afford alpha GPC or citicoline.

Other Benefits of ALCAR Supplementation

ALCAR is not limited to facilitating acetylcholine synthesis. It also has a large range of other health benefits, which include strong anti-oxidant activity, energy production, and neuroprotective properties of the supplement alone.

Adding ALCAR to your stack, whether or not you are using an advanced acetylcholine supplement, may bring other positive aspects to your stack. The neuroprotective qualities are an added benefit. Even when used with Alpha GPC or citicoline, ALCAR can still exert some more positive cholinergic activities that should not be overlooked. The case and point is that ALCAR is suited for all, and is a great additional nootropic that should be considered in every nootropic stack.