L Arginine vs Citrulline Malate: Pre workout benefits
Addicted to the pump — Aren’t we all?
L-Arginine increases Nitric oxide which has a vasodilation effect in our bodies that helps increase our muscle pump. When the L-Arginine enters our bloodstream we get Nitric oxide as a result.
When the L-Arginine travels through the digestive tract, it gets broken down into ornithine (an amino acid) and into the urea (waste product). This ornithine can be converted back into Citrulline that gets converted back to L-Arginine by enzymes (Arginosuccinate synthase/lycase). As we can see, this isn't really an efficient way to get to the nitric oxide because when L-arginine is taken, orally, from a supplement, you are actually losing a lot of it. Studies show that you only retain 30% of what you originally consume. Another study showed that people with high cholestrol levels were, perhaps, retaining only 1% while the other 99% goes to waste.
That being said, wouldn't it make more sense to start with the Citrulline which will then convert into L-arginine and then to Nitric oxide? The main advantage of citrulline is that it will actually bypass the same pathway that the L-arginine got ruined by. It will bypass the digestive tract and the liver, and thus will reach the bloodstream in a much more effective manner. The idea is that you will get a lot more retained from the citrulline to get to the nitric oxide than you would otherwise.
What is the malate? Citrulline, itself, is a free form, but when bonded to malic acid we get citrulline malate. This malic acid provides a second benefit; it feeds the Krebs cycle which is basically responsible for generating energy during aerobic respiration. It uses the oxygen and produces carbon dioxide and water as waste products and then ADP is converted to energy-rich ATP. Which proves that citrulline malate is even better with creatine supplementation.
Who wins, L-Arginine or Citrulline Malate? Without a doubt the citrulline malate.
*Note: No matter what you are taking, if you are looking to benefit from the supplementation you better make sure you're dosing correctly. Based on research, 6-8 grams of citrulline malate is best for optimal results.
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