Citrulline Malate vs L-Citrulline for performance
Short answer: For performance, users rate them about the same: 94% report improvement with Citrulline Malate (49 reports) and 98% with L-Citrulline (45 reports).
Citrulline Malate has 5 meta-analyses and 36 randomized trials on PubMed; L-Citrulline has 14 and 101.
Based on 162 reports about Citrulline Malate and 231 about L-Citrulline. Not medical advice.
| Citrulline Malate Supplement | L-Citrulline Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 83%helped58 reports · medium confidence | 77%helped99 reports · medium confidence |
| Verdict | Mostly positive | Mostly positive |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 5 / 36 | 14 / 101 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Performance % reporting improvement | 94% (49) | 98% (45) |
| Libido % reporting improvement | 100% (3) | 98% (48) |
| Heart & lipids % reporting improvement | 86% (7) | 95% (22) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 100% (9) | 100% (11) |
| Recovery % reporting improvement | 100% (6) | 100% (3) |
| Common side effects | diarrhea, headache, dizziness, stomach issues | cold sore, dizziness, headache, increased urination |
| Typical dose reported | 2 scoops / pre-workout | 8 g / 3x/week |
Nevertheless, several studies have reported that L-citrulline supplementation can enhance exercise performance and recovery. Given the positive effects observed from some investigations, future studies should continue to investigate the effects of both acute and chronic supplementation with L-citrulline and citrulline malate on markers of blood flow and exercise performance and should seek to elucidate the mechanism underlying such effects.
J Strength Cond Res, 2020 ↗“Creatin and Citrulline Malate helped me most with reducing PEM, energy shortage, and a general feeling of extreme tiredness.”
Foods rich in polyphenols and nitrate provide trivial benefits for endurance exercise performance, although these effects may be food dependent. Highly trained endurance athletes do not appear to benefit from consuming nitrate-rich foods but may benefit from polyphenol consumption. Further research into food sources, dosage and supplementation duration to optimise the ergogenic response to polyphenol consumption is warranted. Further studies should evaluate whether differential sex-based responses to nitrate and polyphenol consumption are attributable to physiological differences or sample siz
J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2021 ↗“Something I found that makes my meds work way better is Citrulline 2g + Arginine 2g twice daily.”
Related comparisons
Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate