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Taurine is a type of chemical called an amino sulfonic acid. It occurs naturally in the body. The best food sources are meat, fish, and eggs.
Taurine has important functions in the heart and brain. It helps support nerve growth. It might also benefit people with heart failure by lowering blood pressure and calming the nervous system. This might help prevent heart failure from becoming worse.
People take taurine for congestive heart failure (CHF) and swelling of the liver (hepatitis). It is also used for obesity, athletic performance, fatigue, diabetes, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
Don't confuse taurine with homotaurine. These are not the same.
- Congestive heart failure (CHF). Oral taurine may improve left ventricular function, heart failure-related symptoms, and exercise capacity in patients with CHF.
Login for details - Hepatitis. Oral taurine may improve liver function in patients with acute or chronic hepatitis.
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- Obesity. Oral taurine does not appear to improve body weight in adults who are obese or overweight.
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- Academic performance. It is unclear if oral taurine is beneficial to improve academic performance.
Login for details - Age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Login for details
- Athletic performance. Research on the use of taurine for improving endurance or power output is limited and conflicting; however, it may improve performance by a small amount in some athletes.
Login for details - Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Login for details
- Autism spectrum disorder. Login for details
- Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). It is unclear if oral taurine is beneficial in patients with CINV.
Login for details - Chemotherapy-induced nephrotoxicity. It is unclear if oral taurine is beneficial for preventing or treating chemotherapy-induced nephrotoxicity.
Login for details - Cirrhosis. It is unclear if oral taurine is beneficial in patients with cirrhosis.
Login for details - Cognitive function. It is unclear if oral taurine is beneficial for improving cognitive function; however, taking an energy drink (Red Bull Energy Drink) containing taurine and other ingredients may modestly improve some measures of cognitive function.
Login for details - Cystic fibrosis. Oral taurine may reduce steatorrhea in children with cystic fibrosis, but it does not seem to improve other measures of nutritional status.
Login for details - Delirium. It is unclear if oral taurine prevents delirium in patients in the intensive care unit.
Login for details - Diabetes. It is unclear if oral taurine is beneficial in patients with diabetes.
Login for details - Epilepsy. Login for details
- Exercise-induced muscle soreness. Small clinical studies suggest that oral taurine may modestly improve exercise-induced muscle soreness.
Login for details - Fatigue. It is unclear if oral taurine is beneficial for improving fatigue.
Login for details - Helicobacter pylori. It is unclear if oral taurine can aid in the eradication of helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).
Login for details - Hyperlipidemia. It is unclear if oral taurine is beneficial for lowering lipid levels.
Login for details - Hypertension. Oral taurine may modestly reduce blood pressure in patients with hypertension; however, the long-term antihypertensive effects of taurine are unclear.
Login for details - Infant development. Higher maternal intake of taurine from the diet may be linked to increased newborn length and weight; however, feeding taurine-containing formula to newborns does not appear to improve infant development.
Login for details - Iron deficiency anemia. It is unclear if oral taurine is beneficial in patients with iron deficiency anemia.
Login for details - Muscular dystrophy. It is unclear if oral taurine is beneficial in patients with muscular dystrophy.
Login for details - Physical performance. It is unclear if oral taurine improves physical performance in older adults.
Login for details - Postoperative recovery. It is unclear if oral taurine is beneficial for improving postoperative recovery.
Login for details - Psychosis. It is unclear if oral taurine is beneficial in patients with psychosis.
Login for details - Sleep deprivation. Oral taurine has only been evaluated in combination with other ingredients; its effect when used alone is unclear.
Login for details - Tourette syndrome. Oral taurine may improve tic severity in children with Tourette syndrome who are taking tiapride at a dose of 300 mg or less. Taurine may not be effective in children taking higher doses of tiapride.
Login for details - Traumatic brain injury (TBI). It is unclear if oral taurine is beneficial in patients with a TBI.
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When taken by mouth: Taurine is commonly consumed in foods. It is possibly safe when used as a medicine for up to 3 months.
Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Taurine is commonly consumed in foods. There isn't enough reliable information to know if taurine is safe to use as a medicine when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and stick to food amounts.Children: Taurine is commonly consumed in foods. It is possibly safe when taken by mouth as medicine for up to 12 weeks.
Lithium
Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Taurine might slow down how quickly lithium is flushed out of the body. This could increase levels of lithium that stay in the body. Your healthcare provider might need to lower your dose of lithium.
Medications for high blood pressure (Antihypertensive drugs)
Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Taurine might lower blood pressure. Taking taurine along with medications that lower blood pressure might cause blood pressure to go too low. Monitor your blood pressure closely.
Herbs and supplements that might lower blood pressure: Taurine might lower blood pressure. Taking it with other supplements that have the same effect might cause blood pressure to drop too much. Examples of supplements with this effect include andrographis, casein peptides, L-arginine, niacin, and stinging nettle.
Avoid drinking alcohol while taking taurine supplements or energy drinks that contain taurine. Taurine might increase how much alcohol you want to drink, which increases the risk of alcohol-related side effects.
Taurine is found in foods such as meat, seafood, and eggs. The typical Western diet includes 40-400 mg of taurine daily. It's also a common ingredient in energy drinks.
As medicine, taurine has most often been used by adults in doses of 6 grams by mouth daily for up to one year. Speak with a healthcare provider to find out what dose might be best for a specific condition.
2-Aminoethanesulfonic Acid, 2-Aminoethylsulfonic Acid, 2-Aminoethane Sulfonic Acid, Acide Aminoéthylsulfonique, Acide Kétoisocaproïque de Taurine, Acid Aminoethanesulfonate, Aminoethanesulfonate, Aminoéthylsulfonique, Dibicor, Éthyl Ester de Taurine, L-Taurine, Taurina, Taurine Ethyl Ester, Taurine Ketoisocaproic Acid.
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