The Study
Biochemical, physiological, and performance response of a functional watermelon juice enriched in L-citrulline during a half-marathon race
This study gave runners a special watermelon drink and saw what happened after they ran a race. It found that those who drank it felt less sore the next few days and had less lactic acid in their blood. But it didn’t make them run faster. So we know the drink might help with feeling better after running, but not with running better.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Drinking a special watermelon juice before a half-marathon might help runners feel less muscle soreness afterward and recover faster.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 561 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — less soreness and faster recovery could help runners train again sooner, even if they don’t run faster.
- 2Runners who drank the juice had 95% less soreness at 72 hours (vs.
- 367% in placebo), 22% lower lactate levels, and 27% higher L-arginine after the race — but ran the same time.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Food & Nutrition Research
Year
2017
Authors
Ascensión Martínez-Sánchez, D. Ramos-Campo, B. Fernández-Lobato, J. Rubio-Arias, F. Alacid, E. Aguayo
Related Content
Claims (10)
When citrulline is metabolized, it leads to increased nitric oxide production in blood vessel lining cells, which causes blood vessels to widen and improves oxygen delivery to skeletal muscle.
Taking citrulline before working out results in less muscle soreness 72 hours after the workout.
Amateur male runners who drink 500 mL of L-citrulline-enriched watermelon juice containing 3.45 g L-citrulline after a half-marathon have 27% higher plasma L-arginine levels immediately afterward than those who drink a placebo.
Amateur male runners who drank 500 mL of L-citrulline-enriched watermelon juice containing 3.45 g of L-citrulline before a half-marathon maintained their vertical jump height afterward, while those who drank a placebo experienced a 9–10% decline.
Drinking 500 mL of watermelon juice with 3.45 grams of L-citrulline before a half-marathon does not change the race time of amateur male runners compared to drinking a placebo beverage.
Amateur male runners who drink 500 mL of L-citrulline-enriched watermelon juice with 3.45 g L-citrulline after a half-marathon have 22% lower plasma lactate levels immediately after finishing compared to those who drink a placebo.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.