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Carnosine and L-Carnosine

Updated on 13th January 2008 by Dr Charles Tweed

Intro
Carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) is a dipeptide of the amino acids beta-alanine and histidine. It’s role in humans is, as yet, unclear but it has anti-oxidant actions and plays a role in chelating heavy metals. Perhaps most importantly, it scavenges alpha-beta unsaturated aldehydes formed from peroxidation of cell membrane fatty acids during oxidative stress. It can oppose glycation and decrease the formation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs). It is highly concentrated in muscle and brain tissues. It is found in high quantities in skeletal muscle and therefore the dietary source is primarily from meat. There are four main reasons why you should take Carnosine and we have included the major studies and reviews discussing them:

Carnosine for Aging, Diabetes and Cataracts

Aging [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]
Diabetes [11, 12, 13, 14]
Cataracts [15, 16, 17, 18]
Performance enhancement [19]
Autism [20, 21]

Please see the Google Scholar links below for dynamic, constantly updating data of recent studies so that you can research Carnosine's benefits for yourself.

Aging

Diabetes

Cataracts

Performance Enhancement

Autism

The science
One of the significant reasons we age is due to the gradual accumulation of AGEs. A full discussion is beyond the scope of the review and readers are directed towards "ENDING AGING". by Aubrey De Grey for a full discussion of the pathology and possible mechanisms to break them down and restore youthful function to the effected tissues. As yet, however, there is no clinically proven method of breaking these products down in a safe manner, that produces clinically demonstrable and lasting effects. Clearly, until there is, the only other option is to try and prevent them from forming in the first place, and mitigating the damage they can cause. It is highly probable that Carnosine can play a significant role in preventing the aldehyde production and subsequent protein cross-linking that occurs as a result of oxidative stress to many cellular structures. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10] Longitudinal human studies to support this are lacking, and will probably never be performed due to the usual culprits of “no patent, no money”. It appears diabetics (a model for AGE related damage) have an improvement in kidney function if they take Carnosine . In vitro and animal studies, however, are highly supportive. Notably, it has been found to increase the longevity of human fibroblasts in cell culture by increasing the Hayflick phenomena [8] (the supposed maximum number of times a cell is able to divide), and also Carnosine decreases telomere damage and shortening rates. [9] Regarding cataracts, there has not yet been a good enough Randomised Prospective Placebo Controlled Trials (RPPCT) to categorically support Carnosine drops in the treatment of cataracts. The studies to date are either under-powered or not placebo controlled. Having said that, the outcomes are very hopeful. The data for performance enhancement is mostly of poor quality and nonconclusive. Similarly for autism, but quite remarkable anecdotal cases of improvement have been reported. We caution parents to consult with their paediatrician if they wish to trial Carnosine and start with a low dose of 100-150mg before increasing. The best study on autism used 400mg twice per day. [20]

Safety
Carnosine is recognised to produce some stimulatory effects at high dose, such as hypercactivity, muscle twitching and poor concentration. These are considered rare.

aging-management.com Buyer's Guide and Recommendation
We recommend a dose of 500mg daily of L-Carnosine for prevention of AGEs and as an anti-senescent agent. This may also help prevent cataract formation. Diabetics may wish to increase the dose to 1000mg per day in divided doses as they are particularly at risk for AGE induced damage, especially of the kidneys.

References:

(Back) J Soc Biol. 2007;201(2):185-8 Demonstration of the cytotoxic effect of Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGE-s)] Ravelojaona V, Péterszegi G, Molinari J, Gesztesi JL, Robert L. Laboratoire de recherches ophtalmologiques, Hôtel-Dieu, Université Paris V, 1, place Parvis Notre Dame, 75181 Paris cedex 04, France.
(Back) J Alzheimers Dis. 2007 May;11(2):229-40. Could carnosine or related structures suppress Alzheimer's disease? Hipkiss AR. Centre for Experimental Therapeutics, William Harvey Research Institute, Bart's and the London Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, Charterhouse Square, London EC1 6BQ, UK. alanandjill@lineone.net
(Back) Hipkiss AR. Would carnosine or a carnivorous diet help suppress aging and associated pathologies? Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2006 May;1067:369-74. Review. PMID: 16804013
(Back) Aldini G, Facino RM, Beretta G, Carini M. Carnosine and related dipeptides as quenchers of reactive carbonyl species: from structural studies to therapeutic perspectives. Biofactors. 2005;24(1-4):77-87. PMID: 16403966
(Back) Neurochem Res. 2005 Jun-Jul;30(6-7):797-807. Protective effect of carnosine during nitrosative stress in astroglial cell cultures. Calabrese V, Colombrita C, Guagliano E, Sapienza M, Ravagna A, Cardile V, Scapagnini G, Santoro AM, Mangiameli A, Butterfield DA, Giuffrida Stella AM, Rizzarelli E. Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Catania, Italy.
(Back) Mech Ageing Dev. 2005 Oct;126(10):1034-9. Glycation, ageing and carnosine: are carnivorous diets beneficial? Hipkiss AR. Centre for Experimental Therapeutics, William Harvey Research Institute, John Vane Science Centre, Bart's and the London Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, UK. alanandjill@lineone.net
(Back) Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 1998 Aug;30(8):863-8. Carnosine, a protective, anti-ageing peptide? Hipkiss AR. Molecular Biology and Biophysics Group, King's College London, Strand, UK.
(Back) Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2004 Nov 12;324(2):931-6. L-carnosine reduces telomere damage and shortening rate in cultured normal fibroblasts. Shao L, Li QH, Tan Z. Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, PR China.
(Back) Exp Cell Res. 1994 Jun;212(2):167-75. Retardation of the senescence of cultured human diploid fibroblasts by carnosine. McFarland GA, Holliday R. CSIRO Division of Biomolecular Engineering, Sydney Laboratory, NSW, Australia.
(Back) Rejuvenation Res. 2007 Jun;10(2): Oxidative stress of neural, hematopoietic, and stem cells: protection by natural compounds. Shytle RD, Ehrhart J, Tan J, Vila J, Cole M, Sanberg CD, Sanberg PR, Bickford PC. Department of Neurosurgery, Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, University of South Florida College of Medicine, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
(Back) Diabetes. 2007 Oct;56(10):2425-32. Epub 2007 Jun 29. L-carnosine, a substrate of carnosinase-1, influences glucose metabolism. Sauerhöfer S, Yuan G, Braun GS, Deinzer M, Neumaier M, Gretz N, Floege J, Kriz W, van der Woude F, Moeller MJ. Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology 1, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
(Back) FEBS Lett. 2007 Mar 6;581(5):1067-70. Epub 2007 Feb 7. Carnosine and its constituents inhibit glycation of low-density lipoproteins that promotes foam cell formation in vitro. Rashid I, van Reyk DM, Davies MJ. Free Radical Group, Heart Research Institute, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia.
(Back) Diabetes. 2005 Aug;54(8):2320-7 Carnosine as a protective factor in diabetic nephropathy: association with a leucine repeat of the carnosinase gene CNDP1.
(Back) Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2003 Nov;228(10):1138-45. Possible role of L-carnosine in the regulation of blood glucose through controlling autonomic nerves. Nagai K, Niijima A, Yamano T, Otani H, Okumra N, Tsuruoka N, Nakai M, Kiso Y. Division of Protein Metabolism, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. k_nagai@protein.osaka-u.ac.jp
(Back) Clin Experiment Ophthalmol. 2007 Sep-Oct;35(7):664-71. Medical treatment of cataract. Toh T, Morton J, Coxon J, Elder MJ. Department of Ophthalmology, Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand. ty_toh@hotmail.com
(Back) Vet Ophthalmol. 2006 Sep-Oct;9(5):311-6. The effect of a topical antioxidant formulation including N-acetyl carnosine on canine cataract: a preliminary study. Williams DL, Munday P. Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 OES, England, UK. doctordlwilliams@aol.com
(Back) Yan Ke Xue Bao. 2006 Jun;22(2):85-8. [Preventive effect of carnosine on cataract development] Guo Y, Yan H. Department of Ophthalmology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710038, China. yhongb@fmmu.edu.cn
(Back) Drugs R D. 2004;5(3):125-39. Lipid peroxidation and cataracts: N-acetylcarnosine as a therapeutic tool to manage age-related cataracts in human and in canine eyes. Babizhayev MA, Deyev AI, Yermakova VN, Brikman IV, Bours J.
(Back) Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006 Feb;38(2):334-8. Carnosine and anserine ingestion enhances contribution of nonbicarbonate buffering. Suzuki Y, Nakao T, Maemura H, Sato M, Kamahara K, Morimatsu F, Takamatsu K. Department of Sports Sciences, Japan Institute of Sports Sciences, Tokyo, Japan. suzuki.yasuhiro@jiss.naash.go.jp
(Back) J Child Neurol. 2002 Nov;17(11):833-7. Double-blind, placebo-controlled study of L-carnosine supplementation in children with autistic spectrum disorders. Chez MG, Buchanan CP, Aimonovitch MC, Becker M, Schaefer K, Black C, Komen J. Research Division, Autism and Epilepsy Specialty Services of Illinois, Ltd, Lake Bluff, IL 60044, USA. mchezmd@interaccess.com
(Back) Altern Ther Health Med. 2004 Nov-Dec;10(6):22-36; Altern Ther Health Med. 2005 Jan-Feb;11(1):19. Oxidative stress in autism.