Citrulline Food Sources & Recommended Dietary Intake

What are the best natural citrulline food sources to increase your consumption of this amino acid? Eating more foods rich in L-citrulline can boost levels of L-arginine and L-ornithine in the body.

L-citrulline is an alpha amino acid which is not used to synthesize new proteins. Instead, the body uses it largely to accommodate certain steps in the urea cycle.

L-citrulline is named after the botanical name for watermelons: Citrullus vulgaris. Watermelon is the most concentrated natural source of L-citrulline, containing about 2.1 mg per 1-gram serving.

Citrulline-rich foods also include squash, cucumbers, pumpkins and certain others. However, the active dosages in these foods may be too low to experience health benefits.

L-Citrulline

Amino Acid

Pre- Workout

Body- building

Stamina

How It Works:

• Shown to raise blood arginine levels
• Increases Nitric Oxide & Growth Hormone
• Delays onset of fatigue during intense training

Dosage:

Between 1 - 3 g per day

Safety:

Rated Possibly Safe

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What is L-citrulline used for?

L-citrulline is primarily consumed as an athletic performance supplement, used by bodybuilders to improve their workout efficacy and energy levels. It has been shown to boost Nitric Oxide levels in the blood, which some believe can promote increased gains in muscle mass.

The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database states that L-citrulline is used as a natural treatment for a number of different conditions.

These conditions include dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, erectile dysfunction (ED), heart failure, hypertension (high blood pressure), lysinuric protein intolerance, vascular disease, cardiovascular disease, impotence, diabetes mellitus, poor immune system functioning and more.

This does not mean that L-citrulline has been approved for the prevention or treatment of these diseases by the FDA. However, some naturopathic doctors may recommend this supplement as an adjunct therapy.

Citrulline Foods: Watermelon

Consumption of watermelon acutely increases plasma levels of both citrulline and arginine. Fasting arginine and ornithine levels have been increased between 12 and 22% with watermelon consumption between 780 and 1560 grams daily.

L-citrulline is most concentrated in the rinds of watermelon. For those who do not prefer to ingest the rinds, scraping the pink fruit off closely to the rind provides the best citrulline food source.

Drinking about 12 ounces of watermelon juice three times daily provides about 1 ½ grams of L-citrulline each day. This is known to increase fasting levels of L-arginine, but not fasting levels of L-citrulline.

L-citrulline levels do increase significantly about an hour and a half after ingestion. However, these levels diminish to baseline within about eight hours.

Other nutrients found in the fruit, rinds and seeds of watermelon include vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium (K) and lycopene; as well as certain other amino acids and antioxidants.

Citrullus vulgaris (watermelon) has been studied for its effects on allergies, gastrointestinal health, blood health, cancer and more.

Citrulline Foods: Cucumbers

Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) are the 4th most-cultivated type of produce in the world. Although cucumbers are not a concentrated citrulline food like watermelon, they do contain small amounts of L-citrulline. Cucumbers are known to be advantageous to human health in several ways.

Cucumbers share botanic characteristics with both squashes and melons. They are about 90% water and their use as culinary staples began in the Mediterranean region.

There are multiple varieties of cucumbers which thrive in both hot and cool climates. China is responsible for a large percentage of the world’s total cucumber production.

Traditionally, cucumbers have been used to treat headaches, acne and puffy eyes. More recently, their seeds have been found to be effective diuretics. Cucumbers contain antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, bone-building and cardioprotective constituents including potassium, manganese and magnesium – as well as vitamins B5, C and K

Cucumbers have recently been found to contain lignans like those in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, cauliflower and spinach. These botanically-unique polyphenols are associated with the lowering the risks for certain cancers; like breast, uterine, ovarian and prostate cancers.

Cucumbers also contain triterpenes cucurbitacins which inhibit the survival and proliferation of cancer cells.

Additional Citrulline Food Sources

Some of the other citrulline foods that can help to raise levels of L-citrulline include almonds, cocoa, cantaloupe, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), red meats, certain fish including salmon, muskmelons, squash, bitter melons, pumpkins, gourds, walnuts, peanuts and dark chocolate.

However, none of these food sources contain the concentrated amounts found in Citrullus vulgaris.

Even if an individual consumed watermelon with every meal, every day, he still would not likely elevate L-citrulline, L-arginine and/or L-ornithine levels to therapeutic levels. Bodybuilders and others who wish to elevate these levels significantly often opt for a quality L-citrulline dietary supplement.

Safety of Citrulline Foods

Increasing your consumption of L-citrulline-rich foods can elevate L-arginine levels in the blood. Serum L-arginine is converted to nitric oxide (NO) inside endothelial cells which line the blood vessels and other tissues and organs throughout the body.

This causes endothelial vasodilation; causing the blood vessels to open up in diameter.

When circulatory vessels are relaxed via vasodilation, it allows them to transport more blood where it is most needed. Increased blood flow linearly increases delivery of nutrients, oxygen, proteins and other substances which help the body to perform optimally.

The only known danger of increasing your consumption of citrulline foods is the potential for hypotension (low blood pressure).

L-citrulline supplementation can cause blood pressure-based interactions with nitrates for heart disease, PDE-5 inhibitors for ED and BPH, blood pressure medications and other drugs and herbal supplements with antihypertensive potentials.

There are no reported side effects associated with appropriate oral administration of L-citrulline supplements or eating foods that contain this natural amino acid.

How Much Citrulline Should you Take?

It is always best to discuss the potential benefits and possible interactions of citrulline foods with your doctor. Although L-citrulline is well-tolerated in the majority of users, it may not affect all people equally.

Up to 9 grams have been used daily for as long as 9 months in healthy adults without causing side effects. Single doses of as much as 15 grams have also been used safely. In children, daily doses of 5.7 grams have been used safely for as long as 20 months.

Women who are pregnant or nursing should avoid overconsumption of watermelon and other citrulline food sources. L-citrulline supplementation has not been studied widely in these groups and usage is not currently recommended.

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