Creatine vs L-Citrulline for performance
Short answer: For performance, users rate them about the same: 98% report improvement with Creatine (542 reports) and 98% with L-Citrulline (45 reports).
Creatine has 763 meta-analyses and 2,794 randomized trials on PubMed; L-Citrulline has 14 and 101.
Based on 2,279 reports about Creatine and 231 about L-Citrulline. Not medical advice.
| Creatine Supplement | L-Citrulline Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 72%helped1,048 reports · high confidence | 77%helped99 reports · medium confidence |
| Verdict | Mostly positive | Mostly positive |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 763 / 2,794 | 14 / 101 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Performance % reporting improvement | 98% (542) | 98% (45) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 97% (268) | 100% (11) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | 93% (249) | 67% (3) |
| Mood % reporting improvement | 87% (125) | 100% (2) |
| Recovery % reporting improvement | 98% (95) | 100% (3) |
| Common side effects | stomach issues, hair loss, insomnia, water retention | cold sore, dizziness, headache, increased urination |
| Typical dose reported | 5 g / daily | 8 g / 3x/week |
The results of the meta-analysis suggest that creatine supplementation did not significantly alter serum creatinine levels (standardized mean difference = 0.48, 95% confidence interval 0.24-0.73, P = .001, I2 = 22%), and did not alter plasma urea values (standardized mean difference = 1.10, 95% confidence interval 0.34-1.85, P = .004, I2 = 28%). The findings indicate that creatine supplementation does not induce renal damage in the studied amounts and durations.
J Ren Nutr, 2019 ↗“I actually feel a lot better. Mentally clearer and more balanced, like I have my brain back.”
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