What is Citrulline Malate?

Citrulline Malate (CM) is an amino acid compound which has gained attention due to its reported ability to delay the onset of fatigue during intense exercise. As such, CM is commonly found as an ingredient in pre-workout supplements. Let’s take a closer look at its components.

Citrulline

Citrulline is a non-essential amino acid, meaning that it can be synthesised (produced) within the body. The synthesis of citrulline primarily occurs in the enterocytes (cells) of the small intestine, via an enzymatic reaction of two other amino acids, glutamine and proline. Once formed, citrulline is involved in various metabolic pathways — most notably, the urea cycle — and is a precursor for the amino acid Arginine.

One of the key benefits of arginine is its role in Nitric Oxide (NO) production. NO is a vital signalling molecule, though principally, is a potent vasodilator modulating blood flow and oxygen delivery throughout the body. During aerobic exercise, skeletal muscle requires oxygen for energy production, therefore producing more NO leads to greater supply of oxygen to working muscles, and higher aerobic capacity, meaning you can push yourself to higher exercise intensities.

Now, you may be thinking “why don’t we just supplement with arginine or NO?”. Well, citrulline has a longer half-life than arginine and NO, meaning that it circulates for longer once in our system, and is actually more effective at increasing levels of arginine than arginine supplements themselves. Think of citrulline supplementation as a stepping stone to boosting your body’s NO production.

We also mentioned that citrulline plays a part in the urea cycle — the metabolic process of converting ammonia to urea, which is then excreted as a waste product. Citrulline helps reduce ammonia accumulation within skeletal muscle, which works to reduce muscular fatigue and extend exercise duration.

Malate

Malate is an essential intermediate of the Tricarboxylic Acid (TCA) Cycle, which is the generator of two-thirds of the body’s energy by utilising fats and carbohydrates consumed through the diet. In the TCA cycle, malate is dehydrogenised (stripped of its hydrogen atoms), which, in the process, generates NADH2. This co-enzyme can then go on to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is the energy needed for muscle contraction.

Fundamentally, making sure your body has a sufficient amount of malate will keep the TCA cycle working smoothly and ensure your muscles have enough useable energy to keep you moving.

The discovery of citrulline and malate combined offering enhanced benefits to muscle function has led to the wide-spread use of CM as an ergogenic (performance-enhancing) aid.

Benefits of Citrulline Malate

It’s all well and good understanding the nitty gritty about what goes on in our cells, but the question is, does it really work and what will it do for me? Luckily, research has the answers.

Can delay muscle fatigue

During one cross-over study, resistance-trained males completed 5 sets of leg press, hack squat, and leg extension at 60% of one-rep max (the maximum weight you can lift for one repetition) until failure. Following the consumption of CM, the number of reps performed was significantly higher across all exercises compared to the placebo group. Being able to perform more reps equates to more Time Under Tension, which translates to superior muscle building.

Similar effects have been observed in females, with CM supplementation increasing the number of reps completed of various upper- and lower- body resistance exercises, compared to the placebo. Not only this, but the women in this study reported lower ratings of perceived exertion after consuming CM. Imagine exercising for longer AND it feel easier!

If dumbbells aren’t your style, CM can also improve calisthenic exercise performance, such as chin-ups and pull-ups, as well as boosting explosive power during a cycling Wingate performance test. Collectively, the evidence points to CM being beneficial for those engaging in muscular endurance-based exercise by delaying muscular fatigue.

Improves oxygen delivery to muscles

As we know, supplemental CM increases NO production, subsequently enhancing oxygen delivery to tissues.So, it’s no surprise that CM could be useful for those engaging in aerobic exercises, like running and cycling.

A few years ago, a research group put this to the test using a high-intensity cycling protocol, after participants had consumed either CM or placebo for the previous 7 days. In this case, CM increased the distance covered in a given time, improved capacity for oxidative metabolism, and lowered arterial blood pressure.So, if your goal is to improve endurance performance, a CM supplement might be worth a try.

The Brand

Scitron is an amalgamation of Science, Technology and Nutrition.

Launched in 2018, Scitron is on a constant quest to bring together the best of science and technology to provide better nutrition and help those who want to reach their pinnacle of physical strength and health. From a team that encompasses more than 20 years of combined experience in sports nutrition, Scitron is a brand focused on delivering accessible, high-quality and distinctive products.

With a highly scalable business model for an industry that is booming, Scitron is at the forefront of bringing the latest products for its dedicated customers. Our co-founder has been a pioneer in introducing the Industry’s Authentication solution that also rewards its users for buying genuine products. High import duties were resulting in counterfeit products and this solution has revolutionized the sector and the brand. We can now say with pride that all our products are manufactured in India with imported ingredients that allows us for a reasonable pricing. Scitron is proud to serve its customers with cutting edge formulas that deliver results across the spectrum.

The Ingredients

Research and technology is the cornerstone of all products at Scitron. Other than our own drive and passion for innovative nutrition, we source the ingredients for manufacturing out products from a leading supplier of nutritional raw materials – Glanbia Nutritionals. Glanbia describe themselves as “a science-led, quality-obsessed and down-to-earth provider of innovative nutritional solutions to many of the world’s greatest brands.” We’re thrilled to be in an esteemed company sourcing the material from the same provider that many of the best brands globally source from.

The Founders Speak

Being an entrepreneur is a long enduring journey. There are no shortcuts to hard work and as long as you continue the grind, you will see results from your venture. There were many product gaps that we found in the category that did not meet the quality standards of premium supplements, the products that did were priced pretty high. Hence to meet this gap between premium quality and right pricing we came up with the best possible solution. Our goals are to expand our product range so we can provide solutions to our customers in those product categories.

Scitron is going to continue in its quest, getting stronger everyday, with belief and constant build-up. We want to be one of the leading companies of the world in the field of Fitness Nutrition and maybe the fittest one too.