Taurine Tablet Dosing
There are no established clinical guidelines for routine taurine tablet supplementation in adults, and current evidence does not support its use for most medical conditions.
Guideline-Based Recommendations
Pediatric Parenteral Nutrition (Only Established Use)
- Taurine is recommended as part of amino acid solutions for infants and children receiving parenteral nutrition at 3 mg/g amino acid to maintain plasma taurine concentrations within reference range 1, 2
- Supplementation at 10.8 mg/kg/day for 10 days has been shown to increase taurine concentrations and decrease liver enzyme and ammonia concentrations in infants 1, 2
- No firm recommendations exist regarding advisable lower or upper limits of taurine supplementation for infants and children 1, 2
Not Recommended for Cardiovascular Disease
- The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines explicitly do not recommend taurine supplements for treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction 1, 2
- The European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) does not suggest routine addition of taurine in parenteral formulas for adults on home parenteral nutrition 1, 2
Research Evidence (Not Guideline-Supported)
Studied Doses in Research Settings
When taurine has been studied experimentally (though not guideline-recommended):
- Heart failure studies: 500 mg three times daily (total 1,500 mg/day) for 2 weeks showed improvements in exercise capacity 3
- Hypertension studies: 6 g/day for 7 days showed measurable decreases in blood pressure 4
- Sports performance studies: 1-3 g/day acutely across 6-15 days (1-3 hours before activity) 5
Important Caveats
- A 2022 systematic review found insufficient evidence to support taurine supplementation for dilated cardiomyopathy or heart failure, with only one high-quality study identified 6
- One controversial study suggested 175 mg three times daily (525 mg/day total) as "optimal" for cancer patients, but this lacks validation and should not guide clinical practice 7
- Dosing in research has varied widely from 500 mg to 6 g per day with inconsistent delivery methods and durations 6, 5
Clinical Bottom Line
For routine clinical practice, taurine tablets should not be prescribed outside of specialized parenteral nutrition protocols in pediatric patients. The absence of guideline support from major cardiology and nutrition societies, combined with limited high-quality evidence, means there is no established therapeutic dose for oral taurine supplementation in adults 1, 2. If considering taurine for off-label use despite lack of guideline support, research suggests doses of 1-3 g/day appear safe, but efficacy remains unproven 5, 3.