Plasma total L-carnitine levels in obese and nonobese patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

Aim: L-carnitine is a valuable body compound of which the effect on fixing insulin resistancy has shown recently. In an only study performed on non-obese PCOS patients, L-carnitine plasma levels were determined as low. This study it is aimed to determine plasma total L-carnitine levels and to research its relationship with obesity in both obese PCOS patients and non-obese PCOS patients.Materials and Methods: The study was performed with 60 PCOS patients, 26 of which were obeses and other 34 of which were not obese, and with 28 healthy volunteers who were not neither obese nor PCOS. Fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, FSH, LH, estradiol, prolactin, TSH, total testosteron, 17 OH progesteron, DHEAS and L-carnitine levels were measured by using serum samples taken at 2-5th days of mensturations of all the cases.Results: In the PCOS patients both with obesity and without obesity, serum L-carnitine levels were found significantly lower when compared to control group. In addition body mass index and HOMA index were found to have negative correlation with L-carnitine levels. Besides, it was suggested that obesity increased the ratio of insulin resistancy in PCOS patients.Conclusion: In addition to the determination of lower plasma L-carnitine levels in PCOS patients both with obesity and without obesity, when compared to healty individuals, negative correlation between L-carnitine levels and insulin resistancy showed a requirement for more extensive studies to determine the effects of L-carnitine addition in the treatment of this syndrome.