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Research · Supplements

Taurine

Two meta-analyses of exercise trials find small endurance gains over placebo, with low certainty. Pooled trials in adults with metabolic risk report systolic blood pressure about 4 mmHg lower and small drops in fasting glucose and triglycerides. Cognition did not change. Trials have reported no excess adverse effects over control.

Add to Bio HackChecked 2026-11-09
Status
Dietary supplement and food ingredient in the US.
Also called
L-taurine, 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, energy drink taurine
Taken for
endurance, exercise performance, blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, heart health, focus, memory, longevity, anti-aging

Strong several reviews agree · Moderate one review or consistent trials · Limited one or a few small studies · Untested no study in people, listed with what it rests on

Shown to help3

Reported risks0

No risks sourced yet.

What people take it for, and what was found

Shown to help3

Moderate

Endurance and exercise performance

Shown to improve endurance and time to exhaustion modestly in people, in small trials with low certainty.

The numbers and sources
Effect
Across 10 studies, taurine improved endurance performance by Hedges' g 0.40 (95% CI 0.12 to 0.67) and time to exhaustion by g 0.43 (95% CI 0.12 to 0.75). Dose and single versus repeated dosing did not change the effect [1]. A 2025 three-level meta-analysis of 23 trials of a single dose found g 0.25 (95% CI 0.10 to 0.39, I² 61%) across performance measures [2].
Population
10 studies at 1 to 6 g a day, single doses up to 2 weeks [1]; 308 participants with 69 effect sizes [2].
Sources
[1], [2]
Caveats
GRADE certainty in [2] was low to very low. Several subgroup effects weakened after influential studies were removed, and prediction intervals often included no effect [2]. Both analyses pool small trials.
Strong

Blood pressure

Shown to lower blood pressure about 3 to 4 mmHg systolic and 1.5 to 2.5 mmHg diastolic in adults.

The numbers and sources
Effect
In 7 studies, taurine lowered systolic pressure by Hedges' g -0.70 (95% CI -0.98 to -0.41) and diastolic by g -0.62, a mean of about 3 mmHg each [3]. Across 25 RCTs, systolic fell by 4.0 mmHg (95% CI -7.3 to -0.7) and diastolic by 1.5 mmHg (95% CI -2.5 to -0.5) [4]. Across 34 RCTs, systolic fell by 4.4 mmHg (95% CI -7.3 to -1.5) and diastolic by 2.5 mmHg (95% CI -4.0 to -1.1) [5].
Population
103 people of varied age and health [3]; 1,024 participants at 0.5 to 6 g a day for 5 to 365 days [4]; adults with cardiometabolic risk factors [5].
Sources
[3], [4], [5]
Caveats
The three reviews overlap in the trials they pool. The earliest pooled only 103 people.
Strong

Blood sugar and blood lipids

Shown to lower fasting glucose about 6 mg/dL and triglycerides about 14 to 18 mg/dL, mostly in people with obesity, diabetes or metabolic syndrome. HDL did not change.

The numbers and sources
Effect
Fasting glucose fell by 5.9 mg/dL (95% CI -10.7 to -1.0) and triglycerides by 18.3 mg/dL (95% CI -25.6 to -11.0). HDL cholesterol did not change [4]. A second meta-analysis found fasting glucose 5.9 mg/dL lower, HbA1c 0.21% lower, triglycerides 14.4 mg/dL lower and LDL cholesterol 5.1 mg/dL lower [5].
Population
25 RCTs, 1,024 participants [4]; 34 RCTs [5].
Sources
[4], [5]
Caveats
Most trials were short and enrolled people with obesity, diabetes or metabolic syndrome. Neither review measured hard outcomes such as heart attacks or diabetes onset.

Not shown to help2

Moderate

Memory and cognition

Not shown to improve memory or thinking in people, alone or with exercise. One subgroup on dementia drugs scored about 3 points higher.

The numbers and sources
Effect
Taurine alone or combined with exercise did not change cognitive scores. Added to dementia drugs, MMSE scores rose by 3.09 points (95% CI 2.29 to 3.90) in a subgroup [6]. A 2026 systematic review of 8 single-dose trials, mostly at 1 to 3 g, found that most cognitive outcomes showed no effect, and the gains seen were small and inconsistent. Trials that added caffeine showed more consistent gains but could not separate taurine's part [7].
Population
7 RCTs with 402 people, with and without cognitive impairment [6]. 8 RCTs with 244 healthy participants [7].
Sources
[6], [7]
Caveats
Few small trials. The positive subgroup is one comparison among several [6]. The 2026 review covered only single doses and did not pool results [7].
Limited

Heart failure

Limited evidence: pooled heart failure studies found no significant change in ejection fraction or stroke volume.

The numbers and sources
Effect
Of 11 studies, only ejection fraction and stroke volume had enough data to pool, and neither association was significant in all-cause heart failure [8].
Population
Patients with heart failure and ejection fraction under 50%, 500 mg to 6 g a day for 2 to 48 weeks [8].
Sources
[8]
Caveats
One study was rated high quality. No study was specific to dilated cardiomyopathy.

Claimed, not studied in people1

Untested

Longevity and aging

Not studied in people. Taurine supplements lengthened lifespan in mice and worms, but in 137 men blood taurine did not fall with age.

No study in people. This rests on animal studies, how it acts in the body.

The numbers and sources
Effect
Blood taurine declined with age in mice, monkeys and humans. Taurine supplements increased health span and lifespan in mice and worms and health span in monkeys, and reduced cellular senescence, DNA damage and inflammation markers [10]. A later study of 137 men aged 20 to 93 found no link between circulating taurine and age, muscle mass, strength, physical performance or mitochondrial function [11].
Population
Worms, mice and monkeys, with human blood level data [10]. 137 inactive and active men aged 20 to 93 [11].
Sources
[10], [11]
Caveats
The lifespan results are from animals. The human data are blood levels, not supplement trials, and the two studies disagree on whether levels fall with age [10][11]. No trial of taurine and aging outcomes in people was located.

Doses studied

Endurance trials used 1 to 6 g, as single doses or for up to 2 weeks [1]. Single-dose trials clustered at 1 to 6 g, with no dose-response detected in that range [2]. Metabolic trials used 0.5 to 6 g a day for 5 days to a year [4]. Heart failure studies used 500 mg to 6 g a day [8].

Risks

Checked, no increase found2

Moderate

Adverse effects in trials

Adverse effects were about as common as on control in trials at up to 6 g a day.

The numbers and sources
How common
How often is not known: the sources give no rate.
Effect
Across 25 RCTs, no significant adverse effects were observed compared with control [4]. The blood pressure meta-analysis reported no adverse events [3]. The heart failure review reported no significant safety concerns [8].
Population
Trial participants at up to 6 g a day [3][4][8].
Sources
[3], [4], [8]
Caveats
Trials were short and often small. Adverse event collection varied and was not always described.
Limited

Upper intake assessment

Limited evidence: a 2008 risk review found no pattern of adverse effects and named 3 g a day as the highest intake with strong evidence of none.

The numbers and sources
How common
How often is not known: the sources give no rate.
Effect
A risk assessment found no systematic pattern of adverse effects in human trials, so no adverse effect level could be set. It named 3 g a day as the highest supplemental intake with strong evidence of no adverse effects (the paper's OSL), and noted higher intakes were tested without adverse effects but with too little data for long-term conclusions [9].
Population
Published human trials reviewed in 2008 [9].
Sources
[9]
Caveats
This is a review of trial data, not a new study. It predates most current trials.

Claims tested and not found

  1. That taurine improves memory or cognition. Taurine alone or with exercise did not change cognitive scores across 7 RCTs [6]. Most cognitive outcomes showed no effect across 8 single-dose trials [7].

Sources

  1. Waldron M, Patterson SD, Tallent J, et al. The Effects of an Oral Taurine Dose and Supplementation Period on Endurance Exercise Performance in Humans: A Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-0896-2
  2. Deng H, Song T, Yin M, et al. Does One Shot Work? The Acute Impact of a Single Taurine Dose on Exercise Performance: A Meta-Analytic Review. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.70123
  3. Waldron M, Patterson SD, Tallent J, et al. The Effects of Oral Taurine on Resting Blood Pressure in Humans: a Meta-Analysis. Current Hypertension Reports. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11906-018-0881-z
  4. Tzang CC, Chi LY, Lin LH, et al. Taurine reduces the risk for metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrition & Diabetes. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41387-024-00289-z
  5. Nie Z, Liu Y, Zhang M, et al. Effects of Oral Taurine Supplementation on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials. Nutrition Reviews. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuaf220
  6. Cao Q, Nie Z, Liu Y, et al. Effects of taurine supplementation on cognitive function: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1080/09637486.2025.2499044
  7. Moore JA, Cousins AL, Taylor RMJ, et al. Cognitive Effects of Taurine and Related Sulphur-Containing Amino Acids: A Systematic Review of Human Trials and Considerations for Plant-Based Dietary Transitions. Foods. 2026. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15040634
  8. McGurk KA, Kasapi M, Ware JS. Effect of taurine administration on symptoms, severity, or clinical outcome of dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure in humans: a systematic review. Wellcome Open Research. 2022. https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17505.3
  9. Shao A, Hathcock JN. Risk assessment for the amino acids taurine, L-glutamine and L-arginine. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology. 2008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2008.01.004
  10. Singh P, Gollapalli K, Mangiola S, et al. Taurine deficiency as a driver of aging. Science. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abn9257
  11. Marcangeli V, Cefis M, Hammad R, et al. Experimental Evidence Against Taurine Deficiency as a Driver of Aging in Humans. Aging Cell. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.70191

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