Approximate dose-response bands. Individual response varies — these are starting points, not prescriptions.
Well below target. Risk of deficiency symptoms tied to endurance · pump.
Below the recommended daily target. Long-term adequacy not assured.
Daily target met. Standard nutritional support for endurance · pump.
Common for specific health goals. Check the evidence for your situation before sustaining this level.
Past the point where extra intake typically helps. Evidence for further benefit is thin.
You're at 0% of your l-citrulline target. The biggest single-serving sources to top it off:
Non-protein amino acid that bypasses intestinal and hepatic arginase first-pass, raising plasma arginine more reliably than oral arginine itself. Found in watermelon (especially rind). The preferred path to NO-mediated vascular and exercise benefits.
Oral citrulline is absorbed without significant first-pass metabolism, reaches kidneys, and is converted to arginine by argininosuccinate synthase and lyase. The resulting plasma arginine sustains higher levels for longer than equimolar oral arginine. Citrulline malate adds malate, a TCA cycle intermediate, potentially supporting ATP regeneration during exercise.
Not an essential amino acid; no deficiency state. The relevant 'low' state is inadequate dietary arginine/citrulline in disease states that depress NO signalling.
Well-tolerated. GI distress at multi-gram doses is the typical ceiling. No UL.
L-citrulline (free form) at 3–6 g, or citrulline malate at 6–8 g, 60 minutes pre-workout. Free-form L-citrulline is the cleaner pick if you don't need malate. Doses above 10 g cause GI distress for many.
~80% oral bioavailability; minimal first-pass hepatic metabolism. Peak plasma at ~60 minutes. Renal conversion to arginine continues for 4–6 hours, sustaining higher plasma arginine than oral arginine.
Vascular endothelial function declines with age; supporting NO signalling is relevant to healthspan. Citrulline (or food-sourced arginine + citrulline) is the more practical NO-raising tool in healthy older adults vs arginine.
Converted to arginine; sustained NO support, exercise performance. Common dose 3–8 g.
The mechanisms and systems this nutrient feeds. Click any to drill into what runs on it.