Over the past 5 years, watermelon has gained a spotlight on social media for being indicated as a food that improves sports performance during physical exercise. This is due to the fact that the fruit has a high concentration of citrulline. This is a non-essential amino acid produced by the body. But does watermelon juice improve sports performance?
From previously conducted studies, citrulline supplementation is expected to have a vasodilator effect, since the amino acid assists in increasing plasma levels of arginine and nitric oxide production. In addition, it could also be used as a buffer for excess ammonia, which is released during high-intensity exercise.
Does watermelon juice improve sports performance?
A clinical trial was conducted to examine the effect of L-citrulline or watermelon juice supplementation on some factors shown to improve sports performance. The study, called “The effect of l-citrulline and watermelon juice supplementation on anaerobic and aerobic exercise performance”, evaluated 22 participants (11 men and 11 women), members of university teams, on 3 occasions, which corresponded to the different types of supplementation (L-citrulline in sucrose solution, watermelon juice and placebo).
The evaluations performed were: flow-mediated vasodilation, maximum total number of repetitions in the bench press, time to exhaustion, VO2max and anaerobic threshold. As a result, no supplementation significantly increased the rates assessed in the study compared to placebo.
However, the trial has some limitations such as the lack of direct measurement for the specific citrulline concentration in each watermelon juice and the participant’s ease in differentiating the supplements (watermelon juice and L-citrulline in sucrose solution).
Clinical practice
Thus, after a vast review, we did not find sufficient scientific data in the literature to prove the benefits of watermelon juice or citrulline supplementation for improving sports performance during physical exercise. Thus, further studies are needed to ensure the efficacy or ineffectiveness of L-citrulline supplementation.
References:
Suggested Reading: Nitrate, Polyphenols and L-citrulline in Sport
CUTRUFELLO, Paul T.; GADOMSKI, Stephen J.; ZAVORSKY, Gerald S.. The effect of l-citrulline and watermelon juice supplementation on anaerobic and aerobic exercise performance. Journal Of Sports Sciences, , v. 33, [S .L.]n. 14, p. 1459-1466, Dec. 17. 2014. Informa UK Limited.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2014.990495
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PÉREZ-GUISADO, Joaquín; JAKEMAN, Philip M. Citrulline Malate Enhances Athletic Anaerobic Performance and Relieves Muscle Soreness. Journal Of Strength And Conditioning Research, , v. 24, [S .L.]n. 5, p. 1215-1222, May 2010. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e3181cb28e0
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