Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2018 Aug 10;15(1):42.
doi: 10.1186/s12970-018-0245-8.

Citrulline malate supplementation does not improve German Volume Training performance or reduce muscle soreness in moderately trained males and females

Andrew J Chappell  1 , Daniel M Allwood  2 , Rebecca Johns  3 , Samantha Brown  3 , Kiran Sultana  3 , Annie Anand  3 , Trevor Simper  3
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Citrulline malate supplementation does not improve German Volume Training performance or reduce muscle soreness in moderately trained males and females

Andrew J Chappell et al. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. .

Abstract

Background: Use of supplements to aid performance is common practice amongst recreationally active individuals, including those without a sufficient evidence base. This investigation sought to assess whether acute supplementation with 8 g of citrulline malate (CM) (1.11: 1 ratio) would improve anaerobic performance.

Methods: A randomised double blind placebo control trial was employed, using a counterbalanced design. We recruited recreationally active men and women to take part in an isokinetic chair protocol, based on German Volume Training (GVT) whereby participants attempted to perform 10 sets of 10 repetitions against a force representing 70% of their peak concentric force.

Results: The number of repetitions achieved over the course of the GVT was 94.0 ± 7.9 and 90.9 ± 13.9 for placebo and CM respectively. There was no significant difference between the placebo and CM treatment for number of repetitions (P = 0.33), isometric (P = 0.60), concentric (P = 0.38), or eccentric (P = 0.65) peak force following the GVT. Total muscle soreness was significantly higher in the CM compared to the placebo treatment following the GVT protocol over 72 h (P = 0.01); although this was not accompanied by a greater workload/number of repetitions in the CM group.

Conclusions: We conclude that an acute dose of CM does not significantly affect anaerobic performance using an isokinetic chair in recreational active participants. Practical implications include precaution in recommending CM supplementation. Coaches and athletes should be aware of the disparity between the chemical analyses of the products reviewed in the present investigation versus the manufacturers' claims.

Keywords: Anaerobic exercise; Citrulline malate; GVT; Isometric force; Lactate; Muscle soreness; Return of force.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The present investigation had prior ethical approval by the Sheffield Hallam University School of Business Ethics Committee, ethics reference SBS-695.

Not applicable.

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Experimental Design. Each subject visited the laboratory one week apart. Subjects were supplemented with either 8 g of citrulline malate or a placebo. The German Volume Training (GVT) was performed utilising an isokinetic single leg, leg extension protocol, 10 sets of 10 repetitions at 80% 1 RM (obtained during baseline testing), with 1 min rest between sets
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mean Number of Repetitions Performed Per Set, with and without Citrulline Malate Supplementation. Means were compared using a repeated measures ANOVA, No significant difference was detected between placebo and treatment P = 0.33, or treatment × sets P = 0.34. Repetitions significantly decreased over the ten sets P = 0.01, e.g. subjects performed significantly less repetitions as they progressed from set 1 to set 10 irrespective of treatment. Error bars indicate standard error of the mean
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Quadriceps Muscle Soreness Over Time following German Volume Training with, and without Citrulline Malate. Means were compared using a repeated measures ANOVA. There was a significant difference between treatment, time and treatment × time P < 0.01. i.e. significantly more muscle soreness was observed in the citrulline malate treatment compared to the placebo treatment over time. A Post Hoc was performed using a pairwise comparison and Bonferroni adjustment. * symbols indicate significant difference between pre and 72 h time point with. Error bars indicate standard error of the mean, h, hours
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Creff AF. Double-blind placebo-controlled trial of Stimol® in the treatment of fatigue states. Gazette Médicale de France. 1982;89(16):1926–1929.
    1. Bendahan D, Mattei JP, Ghattas B, Confort-Gouny S, Le Guern ME, Cozzone PJ. Citrulline/malate promotes aerobic energy production in human exercising muscle. Br J Sports Med. 2002;36(4):282–289. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.36.4.282. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Curis E, Nicolis I, Moinard C, Osowska S, Zerrouk N, Benazeth S, Cynober L. Almost all about citrulline in mammals. Amino Acids. 2005;29(3):177–205. doi: 10.1007/s00726-005-0235-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. López-Cabral JA, Rivera-Cisneros A, Rodríguez-Camacho H, Sánchez-González JM, Serna-Sánchez I, Trejo-Trejo M. Modification of fatigue indicators using citrulline malate for high performance endurance athletes. Revista Latinoamericana de Patologia Clinica y Medicina de Laboratorio. 2012;59:194–201.
    1. Kiyici F, Eroglu H, Kishali NF, Burmaoglu G. The Effect of Citrulline/Malate on Blood Lactate Levels in Intensive Exercise. Biochem Genet 2017;55(5-6):387–94. - PubMed

Publication types