Anyone used this stuff? Just did a search and there is not much on it here. Was thiking of hitting up MANs Body Octane and wanted to know what peeps thought.
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Looking for Citrulline info...
- Thread starter Dale Mabry
- Start date
Research Update: Is citrulline malate the ???next big thing????
by Paul Cribb, B.H.Sci HMS
AST Director of Research
http://www.ast-ss.com/articles/article.asp?AID=230
According to some supplement marketers, a compound called citrulline malate has ???has made its way into the arena of athletic performance nutrition??? and is ???the next big thing???. Some of the marketing claims regarding citrulline malate include ???more endurance during grueling training sessions??? and ???much better pumps in the gym and in between the cheeks???.
This might sound promising if you work as towel boy at gym in San Francisco or Hillcrest in San Diego, but what this has to do with building muscle, I???m not so sure. Other marketing claims regarding supplementation with citrulline malate include ???more energy to train better and harder and recover faster from training???. Aside from the anecdotal feedback provided, the marketers also use scientific research to "validate" these claims.
So, exactly what is citrulline malate? How might this compound benefit athletes, and does the scientific evidence support the marketing claims?
What is citrulline malate?
Citrulline malate is a mixture of citrulline; which is a substrate involved in the urea cycle, and malate; a tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediate (the aerobic energy production cycle). Therefore, theoretically citrulline malate may potentially work to reduce ammonia and lactate accumulation in muscle during exercise as well as provide a substrate for the aerobic energy production pathway.
Very few studies on Citrulline malate have been published in English in the more established science journals. Of the few studies that have, probably the strongest case for citrulline malate as a performance-enhancer for athletes comes from a study on muscle fatigue induced by bacterial endotoxins. Using a rat model, this study showed that mechanical characteristics, that is, resistance to fatigue improved after treatment with citrulline malate. The results are interesting but hardly applicable to athletes training in the gym.
Supplementation with citrulline malate has also been prescribed for the treatment of some types of chronic muscle weakness (asthenia) but the results are far from conclusive.
Separating the facts from the fiction.
Some supplement companies are riding on the back of restored consumer faith in effective, naturally occurring supplements such as creatine. A rather out-dated ploy by marketers is to identify one particular substrate or enzyme within human biochemical energy production pathway, detail its importance for energy production (complete with scientific references) and then promote the compound as a sports supplement that will provide an array of benefits.
However, human biochemistry is complex and quite often what sounds really positive from a theoretical perspective, doesn???t hold up in applied science research. Pyruvate, ribose and Co-Q 10 supplements are all are clear examples of this. Do you remember these supplements?
Each one now "Rests-In-Peace" (along with many others) on the junk-pile of ???science-based??? supplements that failed to deliver results. With a barrage of savvy biochemical marketing spin, each one of these compounds was touted ???the next big thing??? but when it came to delivering real results in applied research, each one failed dismally. (Although they aren???t energy precursors, you can throw methoxy??? and myostatin-blocking supplements in there as well! The companies that ripped you off with these worthless products are still at it.)
One study has examined the effects of supplementation with citrulline malate on muscle energy production during exercise.[1] This study is often used by the promoters of citrulline malate to validate marketing claims. In this research, metabolic changes in energy production were assessed before and during supplementation with citrulline malate. This study showed that supplementation resulted in a 34% increase in the rate of oxidative ATP production during exercise, and a 20% increase in the rate of phosphocreatine recovery after exercise, indicating a larger contribution of oxidative ATP synthesis to energy production. These are all positive findings that suggest citrulline malate may enhance aerobic energy production (which incidently, has nothing to do with enhancing muscle growth). The results are interesting. However, when presenting this data in their sales pitch, the marketers of citrulline malate neglect to inform consumers of the study???s limitations.
The points I make are meant not to be disrespectful to the scientists involved in important this research. The points I make are only meant to highlight the unscrupulous nature in which this supplement is being sold to athletes. As a sports scientist and an athlete, it is a passion of mine to discover and learn about potentially effective, new compounds that may enhance muscle growth and/or athletic performance. I don???t particularly care who or what company may bring a useful supplement on the market. If the supplement looks promising, that???s one thing, but when scientific research is used as a marketing tool to mislead consumers about the potential benefits of a product; that???s deceitful and illegal.
Citrulline malate does have a certain amount of potential to enhance aerobic performance but this is yet to be confirmed in applied research by any means. The implication that citrulline malate may enhance muscle gains is a long stretch into fantasy land. No research suggests this compound may (even remotely) enhance contractile strength, muscle growth or fat metabolism. So be wary of anyone that tries to tell you otherwise.
If you have the expendable cash and you???re the kind of person that just has to try all the new stuff (like pyruvate, ribose and myostatin-blockers when they came out) then you???ll probably give citrulline malate a whirl. But be ready to dig deep into your wallet, this stuff will be expensive.
Logic begs me to suggest one important point to athletes that want to gain that elusive edge that will take their performance to the next level. Why blow your cash on a highly speculative (and expensive) compound that is deliberately being dishonestly marketed? Particularly when there is so much applied research on supplements such as Micronized Creatine and VP2 Whey Isolate that has involved bodybuilders and demonstrated how effective these supplements are for building muscle, improving body composition and enhancing athletic performance.
References:
1. Bendahan D, Mattei JP, Ghattas B, Confort-Gouny S, Le Guern ME, Cozzone PJ. Br J Sports Med. 2002 Aug;36(4):282-9. Citrulline/malate promotes aerobic energy production in human exercising muscle.
by Paul Cribb, B.H.Sci HMS
AST Director of Research
http://www.ast-ss.com/articles/article.asp?AID=230
According to some supplement marketers, a compound called citrulline malate has ???has made its way into the arena of athletic performance nutrition??? and is ???the next big thing???. Some of the marketing claims regarding citrulline malate include ???more endurance during grueling training sessions??? and ???much better pumps in the gym and in between the cheeks???.
This might sound promising if you work as towel boy at gym in San Francisco or Hillcrest in San Diego, but what this has to do with building muscle, I???m not so sure. Other marketing claims regarding supplementation with citrulline malate include ???more energy to train better and harder and recover faster from training???. Aside from the anecdotal feedback provided, the marketers also use scientific research to "validate" these claims.
So, exactly what is citrulline malate? How might this compound benefit athletes, and does the scientific evidence support the marketing claims?
What is citrulline malate?
Citrulline malate is a mixture of citrulline; which is a substrate involved in the urea cycle, and malate; a tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediate (the aerobic energy production cycle). Therefore, theoretically citrulline malate may potentially work to reduce ammonia and lactate accumulation in muscle during exercise as well as provide a substrate for the aerobic energy production pathway.
Very few studies on Citrulline malate have been published in English in the more established science journals. Of the few studies that have, probably the strongest case for citrulline malate as a performance-enhancer for athletes comes from a study on muscle fatigue induced by bacterial endotoxins. Using a rat model, this study showed that mechanical characteristics, that is, resistance to fatigue improved after treatment with citrulline malate. The results are interesting but hardly applicable to athletes training in the gym.
Supplementation with citrulline malate has also been prescribed for the treatment of some types of chronic muscle weakness (asthenia) but the results are far from conclusive.
Separating the facts from the fiction.
Some supplement companies are riding on the back of restored consumer faith in effective, naturally occurring supplements such as creatine. A rather out-dated ploy by marketers is to identify one particular substrate or enzyme within human biochemical energy production pathway, detail its importance for energy production (complete with scientific references) and then promote the compound as a sports supplement that will provide an array of benefits.
However, human biochemistry is complex and quite often what sounds really positive from a theoretical perspective, doesn???t hold up in applied science research. Pyruvate, ribose and Co-Q 10 supplements are all are clear examples of this. Do you remember these supplements?
Each one now "Rests-In-Peace" (along with many others) on the junk-pile of ???science-based??? supplements that failed to deliver results. With a barrage of savvy biochemical marketing spin, each one of these compounds was touted ???the next big thing??? but when it came to delivering real results in applied research, each one failed dismally. (Although they aren???t energy precursors, you can throw methoxy??? and myostatin-blocking supplements in there as well! The companies that ripped you off with these worthless products are still at it.)
One study has examined the effects of supplementation with citrulline malate on muscle energy production during exercise.[1] This study is often used by the promoters of citrulline malate to validate marketing claims. In this research, metabolic changes in energy production were assessed before and during supplementation with citrulline malate. This study showed that supplementation resulted in a 34% increase in the rate of oxidative ATP production during exercise, and a 20% increase in the rate of phosphocreatine recovery after exercise, indicating a larger contribution of oxidative ATP synthesis to energy production. These are all positive findings that suggest citrulline malate may enhance aerobic energy production (which incidently, has nothing to do with enhancing muscle growth). The results are interesting. However, when presenting this data in their sales pitch, the marketers of citrulline malate neglect to inform consumers of the study???s limitations.
??? The study on citrulline malate supplementation was not blinded (to prevent bias).
??? Nor was a placebo treatment utilized (something to directly compare results to).
??? This study was performed on sedentary (inactive) men that ???complained of fatigue??? (no explanation of what this means was provided).
??? To assess muscle performance and energy production, similar studies have used exercises such as biceps flexion or plantar flexion (calf press)???these exercises have greater relevance to athletes. However, the citrulline malate study assessed ???muscle performance??? using finger flexion as exercise.
So basically, the ???scientific research??? used to sell citrulline malate to athletes as ???the next big thing??? is a ???trial??? (not a tightly controlled study) on tired, inactive men that performed finger exercises before and after supplementation. This is the research that is being manipulated to market citrulline malate as ???the supplement that will redefine human athletic performance.??? It just goes to show, you can???t believe every advertisement you read simply because it has scientific references attached.??? Nor was a placebo treatment utilized (something to directly compare results to).
??? This study was performed on sedentary (inactive) men that ???complained of fatigue??? (no explanation of what this means was provided).
??? To assess muscle performance and energy production, similar studies have used exercises such as biceps flexion or plantar flexion (calf press)???these exercises have greater relevance to athletes. However, the citrulline malate study assessed ???muscle performance??? using finger flexion as exercise.
The points I make are meant not to be disrespectful to the scientists involved in important this research. The points I make are only meant to highlight the unscrupulous nature in which this supplement is being sold to athletes. As a sports scientist and an athlete, it is a passion of mine to discover and learn about potentially effective, new compounds that may enhance muscle growth and/or athletic performance. I don???t particularly care who or what company may bring a useful supplement on the market. If the supplement looks promising, that???s one thing, but when scientific research is used as a marketing tool to mislead consumers about the potential benefits of a product; that???s deceitful and illegal.
Citrulline malate does have a certain amount of potential to enhance aerobic performance but this is yet to be confirmed in applied research by any means. The implication that citrulline malate may enhance muscle gains is a long stretch into fantasy land. No research suggests this compound may (even remotely) enhance contractile strength, muscle growth or fat metabolism. So be wary of anyone that tries to tell you otherwise.
If you have the expendable cash and you???re the kind of person that just has to try all the new stuff (like pyruvate, ribose and myostatin-blockers when they came out) then you???ll probably give citrulline malate a whirl. But be ready to dig deep into your wallet, this stuff will be expensive.
Logic begs me to suggest one important point to athletes that want to gain that elusive edge that will take their performance to the next level. Why blow your cash on a highly speculative (and expensive) compound that is deliberately being dishonestly marketed? Particularly when there is so much applied research on supplements such as Micronized Creatine and VP2 Whey Isolate that has involved bodybuilders and demonstrated how effective these supplements are for building muscle, improving body composition and enhancing athletic performance.
References:
1. Bendahan D, Mattei JP, Ghattas B, Confort-Gouny S, Le Guern ME, Cozzone PJ. Br J Sports Med. 2002 Aug;36(4):282-9. Citrulline/malate promotes aerobic energy production in human exercising muscle.
I used it in a product test (it was mixed w/ creatine and arginine). It truly rocks for recovery and endurance. I've never used anything like it. The problem is it's really expensive (like $60 a month), and only a few companies make it, and no one sells it in bulk. It totally blows away stimulants, IMHO, b/c it gives you the same endurance boost but doesn't screw with your heart rate, receptors, etc.!
--J
--J
