L-Citrulline VS Citrulline Malate: Which One Is The Best?


Citrulline is definitely all the rage when it comes to supplements, especially in pre-workouts. As an ingredient, its effectiveness has been praised in the health and fitness community.

That's because it's one of the most effective compounds for improving nitric oxide levels in the body. Increasing nitric oxide means more blood and other nutrients can reach your muscle cells, resulting in better pumps and performance.

But as some of you may know, various types of Citrulline are found on the market. In this article, we will look at L-Citrulline VS Citrulline Malate and tell you the best option.

What Is L-Citrulline?

Before we can understand exactly what makes one version of Citrulline better, we will need to understand what L-Citrulline actually is. Simply put, it is a type of substance that forms a non-essential amino acid.

An amino acid is a type of organic chemical that your body produces on its own already (that means it's completely natural!) The fact that your body already makes some of this amino acid is why L-Citrulline is considered "non-essential."

The kidneys take L-citrulline and change them over into an entirely different amino acid type, L-arginine. This improves the nitric oxide within your body, inflating your blood vessels so that they travel more smoothly and quickly to areas of your muscles or other tissues that need energy.

More blood, oxygen, and other nutrients reaching your muscle cells can cause a wide variety of benefits. For example, you'll experience a much better muscle pump and therefore an improved mind muscle connection.

Because of its many benefits, it is often added to supplements, such as pre-workouts and caffeine-free pre-workouts, to help you perform optimally.

What Is Citrulline Malate?

Now let's take a look at the opposing ingredient: Citrulline Malate. First, it's important to know that Citrulline isn't a standalone ingredient - it's a combination of L-Citrulline paired with Malic acid.

You know what L-Citrulline is, but we'll tell you more about Malic Acid. It is another type of Malic acid that is actually made in the bodies of everything that lives on Earth. Interestingly, it also makes some fruits, like apples, taste sour!

Besides the fact that it is combined with this beneficial Malic acid, Citrulline Malate is an ingredient that functions very similarly to L-Citrulline, as it also helps improve your nitric oxide (N.O.) levels.

L-Citrulline VS Citrulline Malate: Which Is Better

Let us start by saying that both L-Citrulline and Citrulline Malate have their own unique mechanism. Both of them positively impact nitric oxide levels.

That said, we found that the pure form of L-Citrulline is superior to any other. That's because it's pure, meaning it is not bonded with any other ingredient.

Citrulline Malate is bonded with Malic Acid, lowering the total amount of Citrulline in a dosage.

For example, 8 grams (8000mg) of L-Citrulline will get you 8 grams (8000mg) milligrams of the purified compound. Whereas 8 grams of Citrulline Malate 1:1 will provide you with 4 grams (4000mg) of Citrulline and 4 grams (4000mg) of Malic Acid.

To conclude the above, you'll need much more Citrulline Malate than actual, pure L-Citrulline. But that doesn't mean that Citrulline Malate is bad. Far from it, Citrulline Malate is still a good ingredient; it's just not as good as the pure form, in our opinion.

Keep this in mind when you are shopping for a pre workout supplement. Make sure that it includes the right form so that you'll be able to get optimal benefits during your workouts.

Which Products Contain L-Citrulline and Citrulline Malate?

After this thorough explanation of both compounds, you now know that Citrulline's primary function is to improve nitric oxide, which is blood flow.

This helps you get better pumps in the gym and overall better exercise performance. Because of this, it is mainly used in pre-workouts, stimulant-free pre workouts, and even nitric oxide boosters.

Both forms of Citrulline are good ingredients. But, we found that if you want the best pumps and performance improvements, pure L-Citrulline at a high dosage is the way to go.

Our pre-workout Wrecked contains a massive 8 grams (8000mg) of L-Citrulline, paired with many other ingredients, to help you get the most out of each training session.

But whichever pre-workout you buy, make sure that it includes Citrulline, preferably the pure form - you won't regret it!

The Bottom Line

To summarize everything we have covered, Citrulline is a type of amino acid often found in watermelon but also produced naturally in the human body.

By taking L-Citrulline through supplementation, the body can improve nitric oxide, which leads to better blood flow. This process helps lead to more energy and better exercise performance.

But there's more than one kind of Citrulline available. L-Citrulline is the purest form, is higher in citrulline content, and leads to the fastest, most noticeable benefits.

You also have Citrulline Malate, which is Citrulline paired with Malic Acid. This means that it's not as pure as regular L-Citrulline, meaning you'll receive less of the active, beneficial ingredient. But it's still a good supplement that has its place.

So when it comes to L-Citrulline VS Citrulline Malate, our preference goes out to L-Citrulline. We feel that you'll notice much more prominent effects when taking it.


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