Jun 27, 2019 What is citrulline malate? Citrulline bound to malate, an organic salt of malic acid, an intermediate in the citric acid cycle. It is the most researched form of citrulline, and there is speculation about an independent role of malate in producing performance benefits, but there's insufficient research to compare citrulline malate to L.
- Benefits
L-citrulline has long been used by athletes from all disciplines as a way to increase workout pump, recovery, and reduce soreness. Even though it’s popular, many users still don’t know exactly what it does and how it works.
A massive pump is one of the great L-citrulline benefits.
WHAT IS L-CITRULLINE?
L-citrulline belongs to a special class of amino acids. Most amino acids are broken down in the stomach or intestine and used to build muscle tissue. But L-citrulline is a non-protein amino acids that bypasses the stomach and is processed in the kidneys.
Because it isn’t used for direct muscle growth, L-citrulline is free to contribute to a variety of processes and athletic benefits.
In the kidneys, L-citrulline is converted into arginine and nitric oxide. These compounds dilate blood vessels and boost blow flow, which bathes muscles in nutrients and oxygen, improving power and recovery ability.
This boost in blood, oxygen, and nutrients is commonly known as a workout “pump.” It gives an immediate increase in energy, muscle power, and size and helps recovery.
![Benefits Benefits](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125824600/474209302.jpg)
Increasing workout pump is the most noticeable benefit of L-citrulline, but it also helps maintain white blood cell count. This keeps your immune system strong and reduces time needed for healing.
Most athletes are familiar with L-citrulline capsules, but you can also get it from food, mostly squash, watermelon, and cucumber.
In the kidneys, L-citrulline is converted into arginine and nitric oxide. These compounds dilate blood vessels and boost blood flow, which bathes muscles in nutrients and oxygen…
HOW IS L-CITRULLINE PROCESSED?
To understand what benefits we get from L-citrulline, we first have to look at some biology. Don’t worry, we’ll keep it short!
The majority of amino acids are broken down in the liver and intestines and absorbed for muscle growth. This is efficient and works well for recovery.
However, because L-citrulline is a non-protein amino acid, it bypasses the liver heads straight to the kidneys, where it’s broken down into arginine and nitric oxide. This is where the real magic starts.
BOOSTING WORKOUT “PUMP”
The most noticeable, immediate effect of L-citrulline is an increase in blood flow, commonly known by athletes as a “pump.”
After conversion in the kidneys, the resulting arginine relaxes blood vessels, making them dilate for more blood flow. Nitric acid backs up this process, pumping to the muscles. The result is a flood of blood, nutrients, and oxygen to muscle tissue during workouts, increasing perceived energy and power.
It may seem counterintuitive, but this workout pump leads to a decrease in overall blood pressure, which can be especially helpful at getting blood pressure reading into a healthy range for individuals with high blood pressure.
ENHANCING MUSCLES
Everyone wants more power during exercise, but studies have shown that increasing workout pump improves more than just performance. Because muscles have more materials to work with, they heal faster and aren’t as sore or fatigued during and after exercise.
L-citrulline can help with recovery and muscle growth.
More nutrients obviously leads to better growth, but L-citrulline also has an interesting effect on recovery because of its effects on blood.
Following heavy workouts, white blood cell count drops, decreasing immune strength and healing. L-citrulline prevents this white blood cell decline and immune drop. One French study found this prevention may significantly decrease soreness, especially in new athletes.
While no one want to get injured, most of us have had sprains or tears. By boosting white blood cells and immune health, L-citrulline accelerates healing, getting us back on track.
Finally, while L-citrulline doesn’t directly contribute to growth, researchers have found it may increase the rate of protein use in building new muscle tissue. It essentially boosts the benefits of other amino acids.
TYING IT ALL TOGETHER
When we look at the immediate, effective benefits of L-citrulline, it’s no surprise athletes from all disciplines are using it. It’s natural, safe for most people, works quickly, improves power, and reduces soreness.
Getting a high-quality source of L-citrulline is important. Experts recommend between 200 and 1000 milligrams to boost performance, so look for a supplement with a dose in that range.
L-citrulline is a great ingredient, and we expect to see it continue to grow in popularity.
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- 4 Citrulline Malate Side Effects and Safety
Citrulline malate effects appear to have a variety of synergistic properties with other popular peri-workout supplements, such as arginine and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and are gaining a reputation as a potent “pump”/blood flow enhancer.
It can have benefits for athletic performance, cardiovascular efficacy, certain neurodegenerative conditions and more.
Citrulline is a nonessential alpha-amino acid that is organically produced in the rind and flesh of watermelon but is present in certain proteins and the urea cycle of mammals, including human beings.
It is usually present as a by-product of arginine oxidation or from the reaction of carbamoyl phosphate and ornithine.
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Bodybuilders and other athletes commonly use citrulline malate to reduce muscular fatigue during intense workouts, and it is mostly used as an alternative to L-arginine, which has low oral bioavailability.
What is Citrulline Malate?
The non-essential amino acid L-citrulline and malic acid are combined to produce citrulline malate.
L-citrulline is an alpha amino acid that is non-proteinogenic. The body uses it as an integral intermediate in the urea cycle, instead.
Malic acid, on the other hand, is an organic dicarboxylic acid present in every living organism.
L-citrulline has a number of medicinal uses as well and has been researched for its effects on Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, erectile dysfunction (ED), impotence, lysinuric protein intolerance, and weak immunity.
It has also been studied for vascular disease, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, muscular fatigue, weakness, diabetes mellitus, postoperative pulmonary hypertension and more.
Physiological role of citrulline
Citrulline is primarily relegated to bolstering nitric oxide-dependent signaling, and also plays numerous physiological roles.
Citrulline is an important component of the urea cycle and manufactured by a variety of other amino acids in the liver.
The urea cycle is a process that facilitates the elimination of ammonia and other nitrogenous toxins from the blood. Most of this process takes place in the liver of mammals.
Nitrogen metabolites accumulate from digestion, absorption, and metabolism of proteins, and given that bodybuilders generally consume large amounts of protein, proper nitrogen metabolism is critical.
Positive Side Effects of Citrulline Malate
Citrulline gets most of the credit for citrulline malate’s positive effects, but both citrulline and malic acid provide exercise and other health benefits.
Increasing nitric oxide levels by taking citrulline involves several steps and processes. Citrulline first converts into arginine, another amino acid which directly increases nitric oxide levels.
The reason why arginine is not taken instead is that arginine has limited absorption in the digestive system. In contrast, citrulline absorbs easily, giving it an advantage over arginine.
Several clinical research confirms taking citrulline increases arginine and nitric oxide levels better than taking arginine.
Nitric oxide promotes healthy blood flow, which has several effects, like allowing nutrients and oxygen reach cells faster.
For men trying to combat sexual performance issues, better blood flow means harder erections.
Studies have revealed that about fifty percent of men with mild erectile dysfunction experienced significantly harder erections after taking citrulline malate for a month or so.
According to a study from the British Journal of Sports Medicine, done in 2002, the malate in citrulline malate increases cells’ ability to go through the citric acid cycle.
The citric acid cycle transforms stored glycogen into more usable energy in the form of ATP. A 6-gram citrulline malate dosage used in the study increased ATP production by 34% and comes as no surprise.
The participants in this study felt significantly less fatigued after taking citrulline malate.
In another study showed that men who took citrulline malate performed 52.9% more reps of barbell bench presses than those who took a placebo.
Their muscles were also 40% less sore within 2 days, meaning citrulline malate decreased muscle recovery time.
Citrulline Malate Side Effects and Safety
There are no negative reported side effects from L-citrulline usage, but in rare instances, malic acid has been reported to cause transient nausea and diarrhea.
Furthermore, L-citrulline has antihypertensive mechanisms, and as such, should not be used in conjunction with drugs used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension).
Citrulline Malate should not be used with nitrates or PDE-5 inhibitors either, since this type of usage may result in low blood pressure (hypotension).
Women who are pregnant or nursing are advised not to use citrulline malate supplements since there is not enough available data to determine its safety in these groups.
In conclusion, it is best to speak with a doctor who knows about your health history before beginning to supplement with citrulline malate or any supplement.
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