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L-Citrulline and Blood Pressure

Jun 8, 2011 | By Bonnie Vanaman
L-Citrulline and Blood Pressure
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Almost one-third of American adults have hypertension, or high blood pressure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is major risk factor of heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. Prescription medications to control hypertension often have unpleasant side effects, which is why it's better to control blood pressure through exercise and diet. L-citrulline is one supplement that may keep your blood pressure down and promote better health overall.

Identification

L-citrulline, or citrulline, is an amino acid produced naturally by your body and also found in a few foods like watermelons, cucumbers, walnut seedlings, cantaloupe and the milk protein casein. Citrulline boosts the formation of another amino acid in your body, arginine, as well as the production of nitric oxide, which is necessary for circulatory function.

L-citrulline Benefits

A report in 2008 in the "British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology" found that oral L-citrulline supplementation raised levels of L-arginine in the blood better even than L-arginine supplements and also augmented nitric-oxide functioning. Nitric oxide helps protect the artery lining to keep your arteries from becoming clogged. The inner layer of cells in your arteries, called the endothelium, releases nitric oxide, which then signals the smooth-muscle cells in artery walls to dilate. Wider arteries help to increase blood flow and reduce blood pressure.

Citrulline in Healthy Adults

In a 2009 study published in the "American Journal of Hypertension," 17 men with normal blood pressure between the ages of 21 and 23 were given 6 g per day of L-citrulline or a placebo for four weeks and given a cold pressor test, which artificially increases blood pressure. The group taking L-citrulline with artificially high blood pressure had measurable drops in BP after supplementation.

Citrulline in Pediatric Surgery

High blood pressure sometimes occurs after heart surgery in children. Researchers at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital used intravenous citrulline in pediatric patients before and after undergoing the surgery. The initial results, published in the "Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery" in August 2007, were positive enough that the research team called for more studies into this potential therapy for postoperative pulmonary hypertension.

Watermelon Studies

A study published in "Nutrition" in 2007 found that the high concentrations of citrulline in watermelon increased levels of arginine in the blood of adult subjects who consumed three glasses of watermelon juice every day for three weeks. The scientists proposed that further studies were needed to determine the best way to extract citrulline from watermelon so it would be easier to take. Florida State University researchers did just that in a study published in the "American Journal of Hypertension" in January 2011. They used 6 g of a citrulline watermelon extract daily for six weeks on prehypertensive subjects aged 51 to 57. The extract caused improved arterial function and lowered aortic blood pressure in all nine of the subjects.

References

Article reviewed by GlennK Last updated on: Jun 8, 2011

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