Taurine

Last Updated: July 13, 2023

Taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid that is not involved in protein synthesis but is essential to cardiovascular function and the development and function of the brain, retina, and skeletal muscle.

Taurine is most often used for

What is taurine?

Taurine is a non-proteinogenic (i.e., it is not incorporated into proteins during translation) sulfur-containing beta-amino acid that is omnipresent in the body and is particularly abundant in electrically excitable tissues such as the heart, retina, brain, and skeletal muscle.[6]

A small amount of taurine is produced in the liver from the metabolism of cysteine (which is itself derived from the essential amino acid methionine). Taurine can also be obtained directly from certain foods like beef, dark-meat poultry, and, most abundantly, shellfish such as scallops and mussels.[7][8]

Taurine is considered a conditionally essential nutrient, meaning that we can produce it in our bodies, but under certain conditions may not produce enough to meet all of our functional needs. Because taurine can be produced in the body, the average adult probably doesn’t need to be concerned about overt symptoms of taurine deficiency.[9] (In this, humans are unlike cats and monkeys, who develop retinopathy and cardiomyopathy with inadequate taurine intake.[10][11][12][13][14][15]) However, low plasma taurine levels are associated with various conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.[16][17][18]

In accordance with its ubiquitous presence in the body, taurine has diverse physiological functions. It is known as a cell-protecting agent and is involved in osmoregulation, modulation of mitochondrial function and endoplasmic reticulum stress, cell membrane stabilization, conjugation of bile acids, calcium homeostasis, energy metabolism, neuromodulation, and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions.[19][20][6]

What are taurine’s main benefits?

Interest in taurine primarily stems from its potential beneficial effects on athletic performance and potential mitigation of cardiovascular risk factors.

Taurine was first used to treat heart failure patients and demonstrated the ability to improve symptoms — as evidenced by improved cardiac output and stroke volume — which spurred research to determine whether it elicited other cardioprotective effects.[21] While some evidence supports the use of taurine in the treatment of heart failure,[22] there are few studies on the topic[23] and further high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm potential benefits.

More recent evidence demonstrates that taurine modestly reduces blood pressure, and it seems to be more effective in people with prehypertension or hypertension.[24][25][1] Taurine may also reduce total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.[25]

Taurine is a common component of energy drinks, which have been shown to enhance various aspects of physical performance (e.g., endurance exercise performance, vertical jump height).[26] However, energy drinks also contain caffeine, among other ingredients, so it is unclear how much of their benefit can be attributed to taurine.

Because taurine levels are much higher in type I (“slow twitch”) than type II (“fast twitch”) muscle fibers, most studies have investigated whether taurine supplementation improves endurance exercise performance.[27] Taurine appears to have a small positive effect on time to exhaustion in both untrained healthy people and older adults with heart failure.[2] In contrast, taurine does not seem to benefit time trial performance.

Research on whether taurine improves muscle strength and power is limited and inconclusive,[28] and the effect of taurine on reducing symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness and accelerating recovery following exercise is equivocal and requires further research.[29][30][31][32]

What are taurine’s main drawbacks?

Serious adverse effects have not been reported with taurine supplementation.[4][5] The highest dose used in a human trial was 10 grams per day for 6 months, and the longest human trial was 12 months and used a dose of 0.5–1.5 grams per day. Based on the available evidence, it’s suggested that 3 grams per day can be consumed indefinitely without risk of side effects.[4][5]

How does taurine work?

Most of taurine’s benefits are thought to derive from its role as a cell-protective agent: it regulates cell volume, calcium homeostasis, and stabilizes cell membranes, and also exerts antioxidant effects. The primary mechanism by which taurine acts as an antioxidant is unclear. Taurine may have the ability to directly scavenge free radicals,[33] but it’s more likely that taurine works by regulating antioxidant enzymes and inhibiting the generation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species.[20][34][35]

Taurine may provide cardioprotective effects by decreasing oxidative stress and a few other mechanisms. It can modify blood lipids by binding to bile acids and facilitating the breakdown and excretion of cholesterol.[34][25] Additionally, it reduces blood pressure by enhancing vasodilation (i.e., by relaxing of blood vessels), leading to an increase in blood flow.[24][36] Taurine may also reduce blood pressure by reducing the production of angiotensin II, a potent vasoconstrictor.[37]

Muscle contraction is triggered by the release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Taurine may improve physical performance by increasing the calcium-storing ability of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, as well as increasing the sensitivity of force-generating proteins (i.e., actin and myosin) to calcium, thus increasing muscle force.[38][39]

With special reference to endurance exercise, taurine may aid performance by increasing the use of fat for fuel and reducing the contribution from glycogen, as well as improving mitochondrial function.[38]

What else is Taurine known as?
Note that Taurine is also known as:
  • 2-aminoethane sulphonic acid
  • L-Taurine
Taurine should not be confused with:
  • Tacrine
Dosage information

For all purposes, a range of 1–6 grams per day has been used in clinical studies.[1][2] The most common protocol to reduce blood pressure is 1.5 grams per day divided into three doses of 0.5 grams.[1]

For athletic performance, it is recommended to consume taurine 60–120 minutes before exercise for peak bioavailability. Additionally, it’s worth noting that chronic ingestion of taurine is not required to obtain performance benefits.[2]

Studies that used taurine to improve recovery had participants supplement on multiple days before and after exercise.[3]

No serious adverse effects have been reported with taurine supplementation, and the current evidence indicates that a regular intake of up to 3 grams per day can be consumed without safety concerns.[4][5]

Although several side effects (headache, shortness of breath, jitteriness/restlessness, gastrointestinal upset, sleep problems, etc.) and adverse cardiovascular effects have been reported following the consumption of taurine-containing energy drinks, it is not possible to attribute these effects directly to taurine because energy drinks also contain many other ingredients, notably caffeine and sugar.

Examine Database: Taurine
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Update History
2023-01-23 00:30:03

Dosage info updated

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We updated the dosage info section of this page. No meaningful changes to take-home concepts.

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References
  1. ^Mark Waldron, Stephen David Patterson, Jamie Tallent, Owen JeffriesThe Effects of Oral Taurine on Resting Blood Pressure in Humans: a Meta-AnalysisCurr Hypertens Rep.(2018 Jul 13)
  2. ^Waldron M, Patterson SD, Tallent J, Jeffries OThe Effects of an Oral Taurine Dose and Supplementation Period on Endurance Exercise Performance in Humans: A Meta-AnalysisSports Med.(2018 May)
  3. ^Tindaro Bongiovanni, Federico Genovesi, Monika Nemmer, Christopher Carling, Giampietro Alberti, Glyn HowatsonNutritional interventions for reducing the signs and symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage and accelerate recovery in athletes: current knowledge, practical application and future perspectivesEur J Appl Physiol.(2020 Sep)
  4. ^Andrew Shao, John N HathcockRisk assessment for the amino acids taurine, L-glutamine and L-arginineRegul Toxicol Pharmacol.(2008 Apr)
  5. ^Aguilar F et alThe use of taurine and D-glucurono-gamma-lactone as constituents of the so-called “energy” drinks.EFSA Journal.(2009 Feb)
  6. ^Lambert IH, Kristensen DM, Holm JB, Mortensen OHPhysiological role of taurine--from organism to organelle.Acta Physiol (Oxf).(2015-Jan)
  7. ^Oktawia P Wójcik, Karen L Koenig, Anne Zeleniuch-Jacquotte, Max Costa, Yu ChenThe potential protective effects of taurine on coronary heart diseaseAtherosclerosis.(2010 Jan)
  8. ^S A Laidlaw, M Grosvenor, J D KoppleThe taurine content of common foodstuffsJPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr.(Mar-Apr 1990)
  9. ^Lourenço R, Camilo METaurine: a conditionally essential amino acid in humans? An overview in health and disease.Nutr Hosp.(2002)
  10. ^Sturman JADietary taurine and feline reproduction and development.J Nutr.(1991-Nov)
  11. ^Pion PD, Kittleson MD, Rogers QR, Morris JGMyocardial failure in cats associated with low plasma taurine: a reversible cardiomyopathy.Science.(1987-Aug-14)
  12. ^Schmidt SY, Berson EL, Hayes KCRetinal degeneration in cats fed casein. I. Taurine deficiencyInvest Ophthalmol.(1976 Jan)
  13. ^Hayes KC, Carey RE, Schmidt SYRetinal degeneration associated with taurine deficiency in the catScience.(1975 May 30)
  14. ^Sturman JA, Wen GY, Wisniewski HM, Neuringer MDRetinal degeneration in primates raised on a synthetic human infant formulaInt J Dev Neurosci.(1984)
  15. ^Imaki H, Jacobson SG, Kemp CM, Knighton RW, Neuringer M, Sturman JRetinal morphology and visual pigment levels in 6- and 12-month-old rhesus monkeys fed a taurine-free human infant formulaJ Neurosci Res.(1993 Oct 15)
  16. ^Yukio Yamori, Takashi Taguchi, Atsumi Hamada, Kazuhiro Kunimasa, Hideki Mori, Mari MoriTaurine in health and diseases: consistent evidence from experimental and epidemiological studiesJ Biomed Sci.(2010 Aug 24)
  17. ^Miki Sagara, Shigeru Murakami, Shunsaku Mizushima, Longjian Liu, Mari Mori, Katsumi Ikeda, Yasuo Nara, Yukio YamoriTaurine in 24-h Urine Samples Is Inversely Related to Cardiovascular Risks of Middle Aged Subjects in 50 Populations of the WorldAdv Exp Med Biol.(2015)
  18. ^Takashi Ito, Stephen W Schaffer, Junichi AzumaThe potential usefulness of taurine on diabetes mellitus and its complicationsAmino Acids.(2012 May)
  19. ^R J HuxtablePhysiological actions of taurinePhysiol Rev.(1992 Jan)
  20. ^Ulrike Seidel, Patricia Huebbe, Gerald RimbachTaurine: A Regulator of Cellular Redox Homeostasis and Skeletal Muscle FunctionMol Nutr Food Res.(2019 Aug)
  21. ^Takashi Ito, Stephen Schaffer, Junichi AzumaThe effect of taurine on chronic heart failure: actions of taurine against catecholamine and angiotensin IIAmino Acids.(2014 Jan)
  22. ^Averin EUse of taurine during rehabilitation after cardiac surgery.Adv Exp Med Biol.(2015)
  23. ^McGurk KA, Kasapi M, Ware JSEffect of taurine administration on symptoms, severity, or clinical outcome of dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure in humans: a systematic review.Wellcome Open Res.(2022)
  24. ^Sun Q, Wang B, Li Y, Sun F, Li P, Xia W, Zhou X, Li Q, Wang X, Chen J, Zeng X, Zhao Z, He H, Liu D, Zhu ZTaurine Supplementation Lowers Blood Pressure and Improves Vascular Function in Prehypertension: Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled StudyHypertension.(2016 Mar)
  25. ^Lin Guan, Peng MiaoThe effects of taurine supplementation on obesity, blood pressure and lipid profile: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsEur J Pharmacol.(2020 Oct 15)
  26. ^Souza DB, Del Coso J, Casonatto J, Polito MDAcute effects of caffeine-containing energy drinks on physical performance: a systematic review and meta-analysisEur J Nutr.(2017 Feb)
  27. ^Svend Høime Hansen, Mogens Larsen Andersen, Claus Cornett, Robert Gradinaru, Niels GrunnetA role for taurine in mitochondrial functionJ Biomed Sci.(2010 Aug 24)
  28. ^Chen Q, Li Z, Pinho RA, Gupta RC, Ugbolue UC, Thirupathi A, Gu YThe Dose Response of Taurine on Aerobic and Strength Exercises: A Systematic Review.Front Physiol.(2021)
  29. ^Ra SG, Akazawa N, Choi Y, Matsubara T, Oikawa S, Kumagai H, Tanahashi K, Ohmori H, Maeda STaurine supplementation reduces eccentric exercise-induced delayed onset muscle soreness in young men.Adv Exp Med Biol.(2015)
  30. ^da Silva LA, Tromm CB, Bom KF, Mariano I, Pozzi B, da Rosa GL, Tuon T, da Luz G, Vuolo F, Petronilho F, Cassiano W, De Souza CT, Pinho RAEffects of taurine supplementation following eccentric exercise in young adultsAppl Physiol Nutr Metab.(2014 Jan)
  31. ^Ra SG, Miyazaki T, Ishikura K, Nagayama H, Suzuki T, Maeda S, Ito M, Matsuzaki Y, Ohmori HAdditional effects of taurine on the benefits of BCAA intake for the delayed-onset muscle soreness and muscle damage induced by high-intensity eccentric exerciseAdv Exp Med Biol.(2013)
  32. ^Song-Gyu Ra, Teruo Miyazaki, Keisuke Ishikura, Hisashi Nagayama, Shoichi Komine, Yoshio Nakata, Seiji Maeda, Yasushi Matsuzaki, Hajime OhmoriCombined effect of branched-chain amino acids and taurine supplementation on delayed onset muscle soreness and muscle damage in high-intensity eccentric exerciseJ Int Soc Sports Nutr.(2013 Nov 6)
  33. ^Max W S Oliveira, Juliane B Minotto, Marcos R de Oliveira, Alfeu Zanotto-Filho, Guilherme A Behr, Ricardo F Rocha, José C F Moreira, Fábio KlamtScavenging and antioxidant potential of physiological taurine concentrations against different reactive oxygen/nitrogen speciesPharmacol Rep.(Jan-Feb 2010)
  34. ^Stella Baliou, Maria Adamaki, Petros Ioannou, Aglaia Pappa, Mihalis I Panayiotidis, Demetrios A Spandidos, Ioannis Christodoulou, Anthony M Kyriakopoulos, Vassilis ZoumpourlisProtective role of taurine against oxidative stress (Review)Mol Med Rep.(2021 Aug)
  35. ^Jong CJ, Azuma J, Schaffer SMechanism underlying the antioxidant activity of taurine: prevention of mitochondrial oxidant production.Amino Acids.(2012-Jun)
  36. ^Kemal Gokhan Ulusoy, Erkan Kaya, Kubilay Karabacak, Melik Seyrek, İbrahim Duvan, Vedat Yildirim, Oguzhan YildizTaurine relaxes human radial artery through potassium channel opening actionKorean J Physiol Pharmacol.(2017 Nov)
  37. ^Tawar Qaradakhi, Laura Kate Gadanec, Kristen Renee McSweeney, Jemma Rose Abraham, Vasso Apostolopoulos, Anthony ZulliThe Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Taurine on Cardiovascular DiseaseNutrients.(2020 Sep 17)
  38. ^Jennifer A Kurtz, Trisha A VanDusseldorp, J Andrew Doyle, Jeffrey S OtisTaurine in sports and exerciseJ Int Soc Sports Nutr.(2021 May 26)
  39. ^T L Dutka, C R Lamboley, R M Murphy, G D LambAcute effects of taurine on sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ accumulation and contractility in human type I and type II skeletal muscle fibersJ Appl Physiol (1985).(2014 Oct 1)
Examine Database References
  1. Rate of Perceived Exertion - Rutherford JA, Spriet LL, Stellingwerff TThe effect of acute taurine ingestion on endurance performance and metabolism in well-trained cyclistsInt J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab.(2010 Aug)
  2. Blood Pressure - Moloney MA, Casey RG, O'Donnell DH, Fitzgerald P, Thompson C, Bouchier-Hayes DJTwo weeks taurine supplementation reverses endothelial dysfunction in young male type 1 diabeticsDiab Vasc Dis Res.(2010 Oct)
  3. Weight - Beyranvand MR, Khalafi MK, Roshan VD, Choobineh S, Parsa SA, Piranfar MAEffect of taurine supplementation on exercise capacity of patients with heart failureJ Cardiol.(2011 May)
  4. Muscle Soreness - Ra SG, Miyazaki T, Ishikura K, Nagayama H, Suzuki T, Maeda S, Ito M, Matsuzaki Y, Ohmori HAdditional effects of taurine on the benefits of BCAA intake for the delayed-onset muscle soreness and muscle damage induced by high-intensity eccentric exerciseAdv Exp Med Biol.(2013)
  5. Infant Growth - Verner A, Craig S, McGuire WEffect of taurine supplementation on growth and development in preterm or low birth weight infants.Cochrane Database Syst Rev.(2007-Oct-17)
  6. Body Mass Index (BMI) - Lin Guan, Peng MiaoThe effects of taurine supplementation on obesity, blood pressure and lipid profile: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsEur J Pharmacol.(2020 Oct 15)
  7. Blood Pressure - Sun Q, Wang B, Li Y, Sun F, Li P, Xia W, Zhou X, Li Q, Wang X, Chen J, Zeng X, Zhao Z, He H, Liu D, Zhu ZTaurine Supplementation Lowers Blood Pressure and Improves Vascular Function in Prehypertension: Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled StudyHypertension.(2016 Mar)
  8. Blood Pressure - Mark Waldron, Stephen David Patterson, Jamie Tallent, Owen JeffriesThe Effects of Oral Taurine on Resting Blood Pressure in Humans: a Meta-AnalysisCurr Hypertens Rep.(2018 Jul 13)
  9. Exercise Capacity - Waldron M, Patterson SD, Tallent J, Jeffries OThe Effects of an Oral Taurine Dose and Supplementation Period on Endurance Exercise Performance in Humans: A Meta-AnalysisSports Med.(2018 May)