Citrulline vs L-Citrulline for performance
Short answer: For performance, users rate them about the same: 100% report improvement with Citrulline (31 reports) and 98% with L-Citrulline (45 reports).
Citrulline has 51 meta-analyses and 258 randomized trials on PubMed; L-Citrulline has 14 and 101.
Based on 157 reports about Citrulline and 231 about L-Citrulline. Not medical advice.
| Citrulline Supplement | L-Citrulline Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 84%helped58 reports · medium confidence | 77%helped99 reports · medium confidence |
| Verdict | Mostly positive | Mostly positive |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 51 / 258 | 14 / 101 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Performance % reporting improvement | 100% (31) | 98% (45) |
| Libido % reporting improvement | 90% (20) | 98% (48) |
| Heart & lipids % reporting improvement | 100% (14) | 95% (22) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 75% (4) | 100% (11) |
| Common side effects | erectile dysfunction, tooth erosion, tooth enamel, gerd | cold sore, dizziness, headache, increased urination |
| Typical dose reported | 1 g | 8 g / 3x/week |
Supplementation of some but not all micronutrients may benefit cardiometabolic health. This study highlights the importance of micronutrient diversity and the balance of benefits and risks to promote and maintain cardiovascular health in diverse populations. (Antioxidant Supplementation in the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases; CRD42022315165).
J Am Coll Cardiol, 2022 ↗“try all the standard vasodilators - citrulline and agmatine helped me a lot.”
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.”
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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