What Is Taurine in Energy Drinks? Does It Benefit Cognitive or Athletic Performance?

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We have at least pathways to make taurine in our body from scratch, but does taking more offer a benefit?

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Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.

Energy drinks are widely consumed in the United States, with sales exceeding 350 million gallons (1.324 billion liters). But there’s only like 335 million people in the US; so, we each average more than a gallon (3.8 L) a year. Is it just the caffeine that people are after? A major ingredient in popular energy drinks is taurine. What is that? Taurine is one of the most abundant free amino acids in our body, “free” as in not incorporated into proteins. We make it in our own bodies; that’s why it’s considered non-essential––as in we don’t have to get any in our diet. However, premature infants are vulnerable to taurine deficiency because they initially lack some of the enzymes needed to synthesize taurine. But breast milk provides all the taurine they need, and it’s often added to infant formula as well.

We aren’t the only animals who make it. The name taurine derives from the Latin taurus, meaning bull or ox because taurine was first isolated from the bile of the ox in 1827, decades before it was discovered in people. It’s funny—in my search of the medical literature, I kept coming across articles on taurine surgery. What does that mean? That’s what they call surgery for bullfighting injuries. Anyway, taurine was first isolated in the 1800s, but not much was known about this molecule until the 1990s, after we found low levels in preterm formula-fed infants.

Even through taurine isn’t incorporated into proteins, it plays important roles throughout our body. Clues to its importance include the fact that our body has not one, not two, but at least five pathways to make it. And we make a lot of it. If you look down at the bathroom scale and it says 200 pounds (90 kg), about one-fifth of a pound (90 g) of that is straight taurine. Other clues can be found in where it’s made. The main pathway enzyme is found not only in our liver, but in sensitive tissues like the eye, brain, kidney, breast-milk producing glands, and our reproductive organs. The levels in sperm suggest a protective effect.

Taurine is described as a major antioxidant, but it’s really only good at squelching one type of free radical. But that free radical produces pro-aging toxins like advanced glycation end products; so, that squelching activity is an important function.

In addition to our brain, taurine is also found concentrated in our muscles, where it’s involved in energy production. Presumably, that’s why it’s put into energy drinks. Does taurine help with cognitive or physical performance? Probably neither, like in this study: no benefit for either physical or cognitive ability, with some studies suggesting taurine actually undercuts some of caffeine’s beneficial effects on cognition or vigor. Or that it helps with one kind of cognitive task but hurts performance of another.

Taurine may be more red herring than Red Bull, as the human studies often cited to support it have been improperly designed and lacked the appropriate controls. Put all the studies together, and there is little evidence of taurine increasing endurance exercise, and it’s unclear whether there are any other sports benefits, like reducing muscle soreness or speeding recovery. Taurine ingestion might even be detrimental to maximal muscle power in non-caffeine consumers. The picture is just really unclear, which is why I never paid much attention to it until boom, this study came out, suggesting taurine deficiency was a driver of aging. It was published after I had already submitted the manuscript for my longevity book, How Not to Age, so I’ve been eager to dive into the topic to see if anything was there.

As we age, the taurine levels in our body fall by as much as 80 percent. This may be due to the depletion of the taurine-synthesizing enzyme in our liver, suggesting we may need to start getting more taurine in our diet as we age. The reason it was concluded that taurine was a driver of aging is because when attempts were made to restore youthful levels in animals through taurine supplementation, this reversal of taurine deficiency increased the health of worms, rodents, and primates, and increased the lifespan of worms and rodents. We’ll dig into this important study, next.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Motion graphics by Avo Media

Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.

Energy drinks are widely consumed in the United States, with sales exceeding 350 million gallons (1.324 billion liters). But there’s only like 335 million people in the US; so, we each average more than a gallon (3.8 L) a year. Is it just the caffeine that people are after? A major ingredient in popular energy drinks is taurine. What is that? Taurine is one of the most abundant free amino acids in our body, “free” as in not incorporated into proteins. We make it in our own bodies; that’s why it’s considered non-essential––as in we don’t have to get any in our diet. However, premature infants are vulnerable to taurine deficiency because they initially lack some of the enzymes needed to synthesize taurine. But breast milk provides all the taurine they need, and it’s often added to infant formula as well.

We aren’t the only animals who make it. The name taurine derives from the Latin taurus, meaning bull or ox because taurine was first isolated from the bile of the ox in 1827, decades before it was discovered in people. It’s funny—in my search of the medical literature, I kept coming across articles on taurine surgery. What does that mean? That’s what they call surgery for bullfighting injuries. Anyway, taurine was first isolated in the 1800s, but not much was known about this molecule until the 1990s, after we found low levels in preterm formula-fed infants.

Even through taurine isn’t incorporated into proteins, it plays important roles throughout our body. Clues to its importance include the fact that our body has not one, not two, but at least five pathways to make it. And we make a lot of it. If you look down at the bathroom scale and it says 200 pounds (90 kg), about one-fifth of a pound (90 g) of that is straight taurine. Other clues can be found in where it’s made. The main pathway enzyme is found not only in our liver, but in sensitive tissues like the eye, brain, kidney, breast-milk producing glands, and our reproductive organs. The levels in sperm suggest a protective effect.

Taurine is described as a major antioxidant, but it’s really only good at squelching one type of free radical. But that free radical produces pro-aging toxins like advanced glycation end products; so, that squelching activity is an important function.

In addition to our brain, taurine is also found concentrated in our muscles, where it’s involved in energy production. Presumably, that’s why it’s put into energy drinks. Does taurine help with cognitive or physical performance? Probably neither, like in this study: no benefit for either physical or cognitive ability, with some studies suggesting taurine actually undercuts some of caffeine’s beneficial effects on cognition or vigor. Or that it helps with one kind of cognitive task but hurts performance of another.

Taurine may be more red herring than Red Bull, as the human studies often cited to support it have been improperly designed and lacked the appropriate controls. Put all the studies together, and there is little evidence of taurine increasing endurance exercise, and it’s unclear whether there are any other sports benefits, like reducing muscle soreness or speeding recovery. Taurine ingestion might even be detrimental to maximal muscle power in non-caffeine consumers. The picture is just really unclear, which is why I never paid much attention to it until boom, this study came out, suggesting taurine deficiency was a driver of aging. It was published after I had already submitted the manuscript for my longevity book, How Not to Age, so I’ve been eager to dive into the topic to see if anything was there.

As we age, the taurine levels in our body fall by as much as 80 percent. This may be due to the depletion of the taurine-synthesizing enzyme in our liver, suggesting we may need to start getting more taurine in our diet as we age. The reason it was concluded that taurine was a driver of aging is because when attempts were made to restore youthful levels in animals through taurine supplementation, this reversal of taurine deficiency increased the health of worms, rodents, and primates, and increased the lifespan of worms and rodents. We’ll dig into this important study, next.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Motion graphics by Avo Media

Doctor's Note

So until recently, good for pre-term infants with no access to breast milk, and pretty much useless for everyone else, because our body can just presumably make as much as it needs. The reason we can get it in meat is because other animals make it too, but we’re animals; we make it, what’s the problem? The problem may be that we can make enough when we’re younger, but maybe we’re not making enough for optimal health as we age. When I first heard about it, it reminded me of the spermidine story, another compound we make, but we make less as we age, and there are benefits shown to supplementing with dietary sources to restore youthful levels. So that’s why in How Not to Age I started recommended people include foods like wheat germ in their diet. Is taurine a similar story? Before we discuss the potential consequences of the study, let’s first delve into exactly what it found. 

This is the first video in a seven-part series on taurine. Stay tuned for:

For more on the spermidine story, go to your local public library and check out my book, How Not to Age, available in print, e-book, and audio. (All proceeds I receive from the book are donated directly to charity.)

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