PlainPill

L-Citrulline vs Whey Protein for performance

Short answer: For performance, users rate them about the same: 98% report improvement with L-Citrulline (45 reports) and 100% with Whey Protein (51 reports).

L-Citrulline has 14 meta-analyses and 101 randomized trials on PubMed; Whey Protein has 97 and 691.

Based on 231 reports about L-Citrulline and 305 about Whey Protein. Not medical advice.

L-Citrulline
Supplement
Whey Protein
Supplement
Users say it helped77%helped99 reports · medium confidence83%helped128 reports · high confidence
Verdict
Mostly positive
Mostly positive
ResearchAResearch: StrongAResearch: Strong
Meta-analyses / RCTs14 / 10197 / 691
Mainly used for
Performance
% reporting improvement
98% (45)100% (51)
Libido
% reporting improvement
98% (48)—
Recovery
% reporting improvement
100% (3)100% (31)
Heart & lipids
% reporting improvement
95% (22)—
Energy
% reporting improvement
100% (11)100% (2)
Common side effectscold sore, dizziness, headache, increased urinationstomach issues, acne, constipation, throat tightness
Typical dose reported8 g / 3x/week30 g / 2x daily
L-Citrulline
Latest review conclusion

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 ↗
What a user said
“Something I found that makes my meds work way better is Citrulline 2g + Arginine 2g twice daily.”
Full L-Citrulline profile →
Whey Protein
Latest review conclusion

Analysis revealed that chronic and without professional guidance use of whey protein supplementation may cause some adverse effects specially on kidney and liver function. Presented data support a need for future studies co-relating the use of different types of whey protein with and without exercise to better see the impact on human physical health.

Appl Physiol Nutr Metab, 2021 ↗
What a user said
“Coffee with cream, has to be a cream or fake creamer with a whey protein, doesn't. It gives me a gentle but potent energy boost with no headache and no jitters.”
Full Whey Protein profile →

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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