L-arginine Versus L-Citrulline -Which is better for ED?

When it comes to erectile dysfunction, no single molecule gets more attention than nitric oxide or N-O.

That’s because nitric oxide is the gas molecule that relaxes your blood vessels and enables your arteries to open WIDE for blood to fill up the tissues of your sex organ so it could form a strong erection.

Problem is, as you age, your nitric oxide production slows down, and it is this decline that contributes to age related ED.

The good news is that you can naturally increase your body’s natural nitric oxide production.

That’s where L-arginine comes in.

What is L-arginine?

The amino acid, L-arginine, is one of the raw materials your body uses to produce nitric oxide.

But what makes nitric oxide trickly is that it has a brief 1 second lifespan.

It’s processed “on demand”.

So your body must have a ready supply of L-arginine available to produce nitric oxide on the spot!

And the main pathway of creating nitric oxide is in the lining in your blood cells called the endothelium.

In fact… 70 percent of nitric oxide is produced from L-arginine in the endothelium.

In other words, It’s L-Arginine that gets converted to nitric oxide.

Hence, L-arginine is one of the most popular ingredients used in many male enhancement supplements or natural pills for improved blood flow.

But here’s the problem with taking L-arginine

It may NOT the best way to boost your nitric oxide levels.

Here’s why… L-Arginine gets broken down easily in your intestinal tract and liver well before it can reach your endothelium.

For instance, in a study of healthy men and women, researchers gave all of them different doses of L-Arginine.

The goal?  To measure and determine the amount of L-Arginine that went into nitric oxide production.

The result was that most of L-Arginine went to waste, and only 2 percent made its way to the endothelium to create nitric oxide.

L-CITRULLINE

Another popular ingredient used in male enhancement and nitric oxide supplements is L-citrulline.

L-citrulline is a better amino acid when it comes to preserving l-arginine for nitric oxide production in the endothelium.

That’s because L-Citrulline does a better job of not breaking down once it reaches your intestine.

Studies indicate that TWICE the amount of L-Arginine in L-Citrulline ingredients are used to make nitric oxide compared the nutrient, L-arginine.

This was supported by a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of healthy adults.

Conclusion

L-arginine and L-citrulline are both popular amino acids that are commonly found in male enhancement and nitric oxide supplements for blood flow.

The reasoning being that L-arginine is needed to produce nitric oxide in your endothelium lining of your blood vessels.

L-citrulline also converts into L-arginine once processed in your body, but it is TWICE as effective as preserving L-arginine for your endothelium to produce nitric oxide.