Is the Fountain of Youth Filled With Red Bull?

            When we talk about the key ingredients of our favorite energy drinks, Taurine typically isn’t at the top of the list. And why would it be? It definitely hasn’t been the star of the show to this point. It’s not got the acclaim of Caffeine & it’s not in vogue like Vitamin B12. So why should we care?

            As highlighted in a recent study published by Science Magazine, there is a growing body of evidence associating aging with lower blood Taurine concentrations.

So maybe the guys at Monster & Red Bull are onto something?

The study looked at the effects of Taurine supplementation on worms, mice, & even rhesus monkeys and found that it improved bone, muscle, & immune health, as well as producing a sweeping increase in health & life span (Singh et al. 2023)!

            Taurine is a nonessential amino acid that – generally speaking – is readily available throughout the body; found abundantly in the brain, heart, skeletal muscles, & reproductive organs. With such varied distribution, it should come as no surprise that Taurine has been shown to play a role in a wide variety of physiological processes in our bodies. Notably, Taurine has been shown in prior studies to play a role in fat metabolism (Murakami, 2015), protection against cancer (Jong et. al, 2021, prevention of cardiovascular disease (Qaradakhi et. al, 2020), & regulation of blood pressure (Waldron et. al, 2018), in addition to a list of anti-inflammatory effects (Qaradakhi et. al, 2020).

            But does that explain why Taurine has been implemented into so many energy drinks?

            Not quite! There really isn’t a definitive answer on why the semi-essential amino has seen the usage that it has. One good assumption would be that it’s because of its neuroprotective effects! Taurine supplementation has been shown to produce calming effects through its interactions with glycine & GABA receptors (Schaffer & Kim, 2018); and, it’s even been shown in animal models to modulate neuroinflammation, reduce seizures, & improve memory (Rafiee & Duarte, 2022).

Now those sound like some pretty good benefits to go with your afternoon pick-me-up!

            With all of the research boasting Taurine’s many benefits, should we all be taking a Taurine supplement?  

Well, considering that the amino acid is available in huge quantities in meat, egg, & dairy products, a good healthy diet should do the trick! If you do decide to start supplementing your diet with Taurine, you’ll be happy to know that there has never been a study to find any adverse effect of extreme intake. Even if you are the type to take things to the extreme, the upper tolerable limit as indicated by the literature is 10 grams per day (Waldron et. al, 2018). For reference that would mean drinking 10 Red Bulls & I sincerely hope you don’t think you need that much energy!

            The ever-present, always applicable law is Everything in Moderation! The literature on Taurine is a lot of good with no bad, but there’s nothing to suggest you should base your entire life around it – at least not yet! Taurine may or may not be the key to immortality; we’ll definitely need more research on it to say for sure. Consult with the current literature or a trusted health care professional for more information, and in the meantime, happy supplementing!

References & Work Cited

Singh, P., Gollapalli, K., Mangiola, S., Schranner, D., Yusuf, M. A., Chamoli, M., Shi, S. L., Lopes Bastos, B., Nair, T., Riermeier, A., Vayndorf, E. M., Wu, J. Z., Nilakhe, A., Nguyen, C. Q., Muir, M., Kiflezghi, M. G., Foulger, A., Junker, A., Devine, J., Sharan, K., … Yadav, V. K. (2023). Taurine deficiency as a driver of aging. Science (New York, N.Y.), 380(6649), eabn9257. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abn9257

Murakami, S. (2015). Role of taurine in the pathogenesis of obesity. Molecular nutrition & food research, 59(7), 1353-1363.

Jong, C. J., Sandal, P., & Schaffer, S. W. (2021). The Role of Taurine in Mitochondria Health: More Than Just an Antioxidant. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 26(16), 4913. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26164913

Qaradakhi, T., Gadanec, L. K., McSweeney, K. R., Abraham, J. R., Apostolopoulos, V., & Zulli, A. (2020). The anti-inflammatory effect of taurine on cardiovascular disease. Nutrients, 12(9), 2847.

Waldron, M., Patterson, S. D., Tallent, J., & Jeffries, O. (2018). The effects of oral taurine on resting blood pressure in humans: a meta-analysis. Current hypertension reports, 20, 1-8.

Schaffer, S., & Kim, H. W. (2018). Effects and Mechanisms of Taurine as a Therapeutic Agent. Biomolecules & therapeutics, 26(3), 225–241. https://doi.org/10.4062/biomolther.2017.251

Rafiee, Z., García-Serrano, A. M., & Duarte, J. M. N. (2022). Taurine Supplementation as a Neuroprotective Strategy upon Brain Dysfunction in Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes. Nutrients, 14(6), 1292. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14061292

Kurtz, J. A., VanDusseldorp, T. A., Doyle, J. A., & Otis, J. S. (2021). Taurine in sports and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 18(1), 39. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-021-00438-0