Yep, they had too many variables to give it all, or any of the credit, to L-Carnitine. I'm not a scientist but this was a bad study.
They basically said that:
1) They gave 2 groups L-Carnitine
2) They gave two groups motivational classes for exercise
3) They advised the ones who were motivated to eat less
They saw that the ones with classes had the greatest fat loss. We need to compare the two L-carnitine groups, then compare the two motivated groups, THEN compare all four groups. I'd like to see how much weight the placebo & non-motivated L-Carnitine groups did overall...
Another reason why you almost can't believe any study these days. Our school systems arent spending enough time on the scientific method with students these days. Their studies make this evident.