ReviewEuropean journal of applied physiology2021
A critical review of citrulline malate supplementation and exercise performance.
Review in European journal of applied physiology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of Citrulline Malate Supplementation on Exercise Performance: A Systematic Review and Three-Level Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of Citrulline or Watermelon Supplementation on Body Composition: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · 2025Pooled it
- Changes in resistance training performance, rating of perceived exertion, and blood biomarkers after six weeks of supplementation with L-citrulline vs. L-citrulline DL-malate in resistance-trained men: a double-blind placebo-controlled trial.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2025Trial
- Acute effects of combined supplementation of L-arginine and citrulline malate on aerobic, anaerobic, and CrossFit exercise performance.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Trial
- Prolonged disturbances in citrulline metabolism following resistance exercise in COPD.Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2025Trial
- Trial
- Effects of Acute Citrulline Malate Supplementation on CrossFitNutrients · 2024Trial
- Effects of 3 days of citrulline malate supplementation on short-duration repeated sprint running performance in male team sport athletes.European journal of sport science · 2024Trial
- Citrulline drives age-related lipid deposition for healthspan.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Potential role of L-citrulline in regulating exercise performance and muscle protein metabolism.NPJ science of food · 2026Review
- The Comparative Effect of Acute Moderate- and High-Dose Citrulline Malate on Resistance Exercise Performance in Trained Individuals: A Double-Blind Randomised Controlled Pilot Trial.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2026Article
- Exercise-Induced Rhabdomyolysis With Supplements (Creatine, β-Alanine, Citrulline Malate, and β-Ecdysterone).Cureus · 2026Article
- Acute effect of citrulline malate on flow-mediated dilation and serum pharmacodynamics in healthy young males.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- The effects of L-citrulline supplementation on cerebrovascular function during sprint interval training in taekwondo athletes.Journal of exercise science and fitness · 2025Article
- Article
- Review
- Ergogenic effects of a 10-day L-citrulline supplementation on time to exhaustion and cardiorespiratory and metabolic responses in healthy individuals: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled crossover trial.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
- Advances in Understanding the Interplay between Dietary Practices, Body Composition, and Sports Performance in Athletes.Nutrients · 2024Review
- Aqueous humor metabolomic profiling identifies a distinct signature in pseudoexfoliation syndrome.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
As a nitric oxide (NO) enhancer, citrulline malate (CM) has recently been touted as a potential ergogenic aid to both resistance and high-intensity exercise performance, as well as the recovery of muscular performance. The mechanism has been associated with enhanced blood flow to active musculature, however, it might be more far-reaching as either ammonia homeostasis could be improved, or ATP production could be increased via greater availability of malate. Moreover, CM might improve muscle recovery via increased nutrient delivery and/or removal of waste products. To date, a single acute 8 g dose of CM on either resistance exercise performance or cycling has been the most common approach, which has produced equivocal results. This makes the effectiveness of CM to improve exercise performance difficult to determine. Reasons for the disparity in conclusions seem to be due to methodological discrepancies such as the testing protocols and the associated test-retest reliability, dosing strategy (i.e., amount and timing), and the recent discovery of quality control issues with some manufacturers stated (i.e., citrulline:malate ratios). Further exploration of the optimal dose is therefore required including quantification of the bioavailability of NO, citrulline, and malate following ingestion of a range of CM doses. Similarly, further well-controlled studies using highly repeatable exercise protocols with a large aerobic component are required to assess the mechanisms associated with this supplement appropriately. Until such studies are completed, the efficacy of CM supplementation to improve exercise performance remains ambiguous.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.