Present in citrus fruits and used in food supplements, in the form of magnesium or potassium citrate, citrate plays several roles in our body. Recently, a new avenue has intrigued us: could it also intervene in the mechanisms of aging?
At the heart of our energy plants
To understand the benefits of citrate, head to the mitochondria, the “energy plants” of our cells. Citrate is an intermediate of Krebs cyclea succession of reactions which participates in the transformation of nutrients into energy and the production of ATP, the main energy currency of the cell.
This does not mean that taking citrate automatically produces more energy. Its role in energy metabolism is well established, but the benefits of supplementation on energy production in humans remain to be demonstrated.
An ally of the kidneys
It is in the prevention of certain kidney stones that the properties of citrate are now well documented. It participates in particular in the acid-base balance and acts on the kidneys by two complementary mechanisms.
On the one hand, it binds to calcium in urine, reducing the amount of calcium available to form calcium oxalate crystals. On the other hand, alkaline citrates, notably potassium citrate, increase the Urinary pHwhich is particularly interesting for preventing uric acid stones.
Alkaline citrates are thus used in certain forms of recurrent stones. Clinical studies typically use doses of a few grams of citrate salts per day. However, there is no recommended daily intake of citrate established by health authorities for the general population.. The doses used against stones are therapeutic doses, adapted to the patient’s urinary profile.
Citrate is also found naturally in citrus fruits, especially lemon. A clarification: lemon juice mainly containscitric acidwhich will give different forms of citrate after absorption and metabolism.
An anti-aging track?
A study published in 2025 in Aging Cell brings a new perspective. In several animal models, citrate has shown an interesting effect on vascular aging. In mice, it notably improved the ability of vessels to dilate and reduced blood pressure. In a model of atherosclerosis, it also decreased the size and vulnerability of plaques.
The researchers also studied human umbilical vein endothelial cells that had reached a state of aging after numerous divisions. Citrate reduced certain markers of senescence and improved several parameters of mitochondrial function.
Among the mechanisms studied is AMPK, an enzyme that functions as an “energy gauge”: it detects when the cell is lacking energy and triggers the mechanisms to replenish it. In these experiments, the action of citrate on this pathway was associated with an improvement in mitochondrial function and a reduction in reactive oxygen species.
These results remain experimental and do not yet allow us to confirm an anti-aging or cardiovascular effect of citrate in humans. They nevertheless open up a particularly interesting avenue.
As part of my consultations, I first recommend food sources: lemon juice, tomato-based sauces, kiwis or red fruits allow you to naturally diversify citrate intake. On the supplementation side, depending on the problems and the profile of each person, I move towards basic supplements that can be integrated sustainably, such as magnesium in citrate form, but also other minerals offered in this form. A simple way to integrate citrate into a global approach to micronutrition.
