Impacts of Taurine on the Body
Cardiovascular Effects
Taurine has demonstrated potential cardiovascular benefits in experimental studies, but major cardiology guidelines do not recommend it for heart failure treatment, and its role in cardiovascular disease prevention remains unproven in humans. 1, 2
- The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association explicitly does not recommend taurine supplements for treating heart failure with reduced ejection fraction 1, 2
- Despite this guideline position, a 2017 clinical trial showed that taurine supplementation (500 mg three times daily for two weeks) improved functional capacity, myocardial oxygen consumption, and electrical activity parameters in heart failure patients 3
- Animal and mechanistic studies suggest taurine may protect against ischemia-reperfusion injury, atherosclerosis, and provide blood pressure-lowering effects, but double-blind long-term clinical trials are lacking 4, 5
- Energy drinks containing high concentrations of taurine and caffeine increase blood pressure and may lead to acute or chronic cardiovascular complications in young adults 6
Pediatric Nutritional Applications
Taurine is essential in amino acid solutions for infants and children receiving parenteral nutrition to prevent deficiency-related complications. 1, 2
- Clinical guidelines recommend taurine as part of amino acid solutions for pediatric patients on parenteral nutrition to maintain plasma concentrations within reference range 1, 2
- Taurine deficiency in neonates increases glyco-conjugates of bile acids and can result in cholestasis 1, 2
- Supplementation at 10.8 mg/kg/day for 10 days increases taurine concentrations and decreases liver enzyme and ammonia concentrations in infants 1, 2
- For term infants, taurine supplementation at 3 mg/g amino acid maintains plasma concentrations within reference range 1, 2
- No firm recommendations exist regarding advisable lower or upper limits for pediatric taurine supplementation 1, 2
Adult Parenteral Nutrition
The European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism does not recommend routine addition of taurine in parenteral formulas for adults on home parenteral nutrition. 1, 2
Athletic Performance
- A 2021 systematic review found mixed evidence for taurine as an ergogenic aid 7
- Acute dosing of 1-3 g/day for 6-15 days (1-3 hours before activity) may improve time to exhaustion, anaerobic performance (strength, power), and decrease metabolic markers (creatine kinase, lactate, inorganic phosphate) 7
- Limited and varied findings prevent definitive conclusions about taurine's efficacy on aerobic/anaerobic performance 7
Physiological Functions
- Taurine plays roles in osmoregulation, immunomodulation, bile salt formation, membrane stabilization, ion transport modulation, and regulation of oxidative stress 8
- It acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent in experimental models 4, 5
Safety Considerations
- Adverse reactions from parenteral taurine-containing amino acid solutions include water weight gain, edema, increased BUN, mild acidosis, febrile response, and venous thrombosis at infusion sites 9
- Taurolidine (a taurine derivative) significantly reduces catheter-related bloodstream infections compared to heparin, with infection rates dropping from 8.6 to 1.1 per 1000 catheter days 6, 1