L - CITRULLINE ⌁ should you really be taking it? Benefit ? Type? Risk ?
What is L-citrulline?
L-citrulline is a non-essential amino acid, produced naturally by the body from ornithine.
You can find L-citrulline in certain foods, in particular watermelon. But beware, you would have to consume astronomical quantities to achieve an effective dose. For example, to obtain approximately 1 gram of L-citrullineYou'd have to eat almost 5 kg of watermelon. Suffice to say, this is not the most practical solution, especially if you're aiming for concrete results.
L-citrulin is often talked about in the sports world, but is it really an essential amino acid for your health and sporting performance? In two words: yes, and here's why. The L-citrulline is a non-essential amino acid, which means that your body can produce it naturally, mainly from another amino acid called ornithine.
But that doesn't mean you don't need to worry about it. In fact, the quantities produced by your body are often insufficient to derive significant benefits, especially if you are an athlete or if you are looking to optimise your cardiovascular health.
So what is it really for?
La L-citrulline plays a key role in the production of two essential elements: thearginine and thenitric oxide. Arginine is another amino acid involved in numerous metabolic processes, while nitric oxide is a very important molecule for cardiovascular health and sporting performance. By increasing nitric oxide levels, the L-citrulline promotes better blood circulation, optimal oxygenation of the muscles and faster recovery after exercise.
Let's take a closer look at its benefits
What are the real benefits of L-citrulline?
La L-citrulline has scientifically proven benefits, particularly for people who take part in regular physical activity. Studies show that it significantly improves sporting performance and recovery, and has interesting antioxidant properties.
Sports performance and fatigue
Scientific studies have shown that the L-citrulline really helps to push back your limits during exercise. In fact, it significantly reduces the concentration of lactate in the blood. (that burning sensation you feel when you exert yourself intensely). In laboratory tests, supplemented athletes showed a reduction of around 6% in lactate levels, which is not insignificant if you're looking for performance, because every percentage improvement is a precious help.
Muscle recovery and oxygenation
One of the most impressive aspects of the L-citrulline is its impact on blood flow. By increasing the production of nitric oxide, it promotes vasodilation of the blood vessels, resulting in better oxygenation of the muscles. In practical terms, you'll feel :
- Better muscle pump during training
- Faster recovery between sets
- Less post-training muscle soreness
Antioxidant protection
An often overlooked aspect of L-citrulline is its antioxidant capacity. Research has shown that it significantly increases the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as SOD (superoxide dismutase) and CAT (catalase), offering increased protection against the oxidative stress generated by intense exercise. This property is of particular interest to athletes who train regularly at high intensity.
Impact on cardiovascular health
Beyond pure performance, the L-citrulline helps to maintain good cardiovascular health. By optimising the production of nitric oxide, it plays a part in the natural regulation of blood pressure and improves overall cardiovascular endurance.
Note: these results are particularly noticeable when supplementation is combined with regular training.
What form of L-citrulline should I choose and how should I dose it?
La Pure L-citrulline is the most effective form, requiring lower doses than citrulline malate to achieve the same results. To be totally transparent with you, this is why we have chosen it in our product range.
Pure L-citrulline vs citrulline malate
Let's be frank: there's a lot of confusion on the market about these two forms. The citrulline malate is generally offered in a 2:1 ratio (66% citrulline, 33% malic acid). In practical terms, this means that when a pre-workout says "6g citrulline malate", you're really only getting 4g of pure citrulline. That's why we've chosen to separate these components in our formulation, so you know exactly what you're getting.
Optimum doses for your objectives
Here are our recommendations based on years of experience and research:
- Pure L-citrulline between 4 and 10g per day
- Citrulline malate between 6 and 12g per day
Pro tip: If you're just starting out, start with lower doses and increase gradually to assess your tolerance.
Optimum timing of pick-up
Our experience has shown us that there are two key moments in the process of taking a decision. L-citrulline :
- 30-45 minutes before training to maximise performance
- Just after training to optimise recovery
Our opinion
Obviously, as you can see, the reason we're using it in our pre-workout is that we're giving priority to Pure L-citrulline for its better bioavailability and more precise dosage. It also has the advantage of being better tolerated by the body, particularly in the digestive tract.
Are there any risks associated with L-citrulline?
La L-citrulline is generally well tolerated, even at high doses. Scientific studies confirm that it is safe to use, with very few side effects reported.
Safety and tolerance
Unlike arginine, which can cause gastrointestinal problems L-citrulline is remarkably well tolerated by the body. Its gradual absorption and predominantly renal metabolism explain this excellent tolerance. At the very least, you may experience some... shall we say... intimate effects. (an improvement in blood circulation, if you know what we mean 😉).
Who can take L-citrulline?
Supplementation with L-citrulline particularly suitable for :
- Sportsmen and women (all levels)
- People looking to improve their performance
- Endurance sports enthusiasts
- People who want to optimise their recovery
Points to watch
However, in the interests of transparency, we recommend caution in certain cases:
Consult your doctor before taking any supplements if you are :
- On treatment for hypertension
- Pregnant or breast-feeding
- Suffering from kidney problems
- On medication affecting blood pressure
Notable interactions
For optimum performance, avoid combining the L-citrulline with medicines for erectile dysfunction (like Viagra)This is because their effects could be excessively cumulative in terms of vasodilatation.
Our pre-workout: a scientifically optimised formulation
After sharing all this information about the L-citrullineNow it's time to tell you about our pride and joy: our pre-workout. We've deliberately chosen to use the Pure L-citrulline AND malic acid separately, unlike the majority of products on the market which use citrulline malate in a 2:1 ratio. Why do we do this? To guarantee total transparency about the actual doses you are taking.
Our pre-workout contains 9500mg of pure L-citrulline per dose, an amount within the optimal range of effectiveness (4-10g) mentioned above.
This precise dose has not been chosen at random: it is the result of over 42 formulations tested to find the perfect balance between maximum efficacy and optimum tolerance. By combining this dose of L-citrulline With other synergistic ingredients such as beta-alanine, glycerol and electrolytes, we've created a formula that maximises muscle pump, delays fatigue and improves overall performance.
(And the best part? Only 0.4g of sugar per dose, for a taste that our customers describe as "legendary". 😉)
Scientific publications on L-citrulline
- "The effects of L-citrulline supplementation on athletic performance, physiological and biochemical parameters, antioxidant capacity and blood amino acid and polyamine levels in Yili racehorses". (Full study on the effects of L-citrulline in racehorses) DOI: 10.3390/ani14162438
- "L-citrulline reduces time to exhaustion and insulin response in a progressive exercise test". (Study on the impact on performance and endurance) DOI: 10.1249/01.mss.0000210197.02576.da
- "L-citrulline supplementation improves O2 uptake kinetics and high-intensity exercise performance in humans". (Research into improving muscle oxygenation) DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00192.2015
- "Effects of L-citrulline supplementation on antioxidant capacity and nitric oxide markers after high-intensity exercise in young men." (Study on antioxidant properties) DOI: 10.1017/S0007114521001860
- "Influence of L-citrulline and watermelon on vascular function and exercise performance". (Analysis of natural and synthetic sources of L-citrulline) DOI: 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000383
