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Could this amino acid help you work out with less impact on your muscles? Let’s find out more about taurine...
Summary
1What is taurine?
Taurine is an amino acid found naturally in the body. It’s in many of the foods we eat, but maybe you know it better from the label of an energy...
2Why does our body need taurine?
The body uses taurine for lots of different things, but its main functions include...
3Taurine for exercise performance
A 2018 meta-analysis, looking at ten articles and seven trials, concluded that orally ingesting taurine could improve human endurance performance...
What is taurine and can it help with sports and exercise?
Taurine is an amino acid found naturally in the body.1 It’s in many of the foods we eat, but maybe you know it better from the label of an energy drink.
Most of us have enough taurine – so why would you want extra?
Well, some people believe it can help make your workout a little less strenuous – which definitely sounds good to us!
Why does the body need taurine?
Taurine is a ‘conditionally essential’ amino acid, which means your body can make it, but it becomes essential in certain situations like pregnancy or illness.1
The body uses taurine for lots of different things, but its main functions include:
- helping the body produce bile (which helps you digest fats) 2
- helping to maintain the immune system 3
- acting as a neurotransmitter (messenger) in the brain 4
Taurine also holds antioxidant properties, which means it helps protect organs against damage from oxidative stress.5
What contains taurine?
The major sources of taurine are meat, fish, seafood and dairy products like milk, cheese and eggs.1
While there are some natural vegetarian sources of taurine, they are absorbed by the body much less easily than meat, fish and dairy sources. But don’t worry! As long as you eat enough protein (which most of us in the UK do), your body makes all the amino acids, including taurine, that it needs.4,6
Taurine is also available in supplement form, such as powders or capsules. It’s frequently added to energy drinks, although many can be packed with sugar and caffeine and aren’t recommended for daily consumption.
How might taurine help sports and exercise performance?
1. Taurine may improve exercise performance
A 2018 meta-analysis, looking at ten articles and seven trials, concluded that orally ingesting taurine could improve human endurance performance.7
Another meta-analysis from 2021 found some improvements in factors like the time it takes to become exhausted during exercise, as well as suggesting that it “may improve aerobic performance, anaerobic performance, and recovery”. However, it concluded that the findings are still mixed and that more research is needed to understand taurine’s potential effects.5
2. Taurine may reduce muscle soreness and stiffness
In one 2013 study, 36 men were given either a branched-chain amino acid (BCAA), taurine, a taurine and BCAA combination or a placebo. Participants taking the taurine and BCAA experienced the least muscle damage after exercise.2
A later study by the same main researcher measured stiffness after taking a taurine supplement versus a placebo. It suggested that taurine delayed muscle stiffness after exercise and decreased oxidative stress.8
It’s worth mentioning that both of these studies were small, and that in the first study the best results were found in the combination of taurine and BCAA. More research is needed for taurine and muscle recovery.
Is taurine supplementation safe?
Taurine supplementation is considered safe for most people. This is because people in studies appear to have tolerated it well with no adverse side effects.9
However, taurine supplementation isn’t suitable if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. It’s also important to stick to the dosage on the product label to make sure you aren’t taking too much.
As always, before taking any new supplement, speak to your GP or a healthcare professional.4
The final say
We all need taurine and, fortunately, most of us already get enough through our diets.
More research is needed for taurine and muscle recovery.
In the meantime, you could look at ways to add rest days into your exercise regime, with Olympian expert Sarah Lindsay, and Martin Sharp, fitness and lifestyle coach.
You might choose to take extra if you struggle to get a balanced diet or if you’re after some potential muscle support after a workout, too.
The advice in this article is for information only and should not replace medical care. Please check with your GP or healthcare professional before trying any supplements, treatments or remedies. Food supplements must not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
While we strive for accuracy and balance, please be aware that this article may discuss products available for purchase through Holland & Barrett. Consult a healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.
Before taking any supplements or minerals, it’s best to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients through your diet first.
Food supplements must not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
- Schaffer S, Kim HW. Effects and Mechanisms of Taurine as a Therapeutic Agent. Biomol Ther (Seoul) [Internet]. 2018 Apr 10 [cited 2024 Sep 10]; 26(3): 225-41. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5933890/
- Ra S et al. Combined effect of branched-chain amino acids and taurine supplementation on delayed onset muscle soreness and muscle damage in high-intensity eccentric exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr [Internet]. 2013 Nov 6 [cited 2024 Sep 10]; 10: 51. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3827986/
- De Luca A, Pierno S, Camerino DC. Taurine: the appeal of a safe amino acid for skeletal muscle disorders. J Transl Med [Internet]. 2015 Jul 25 [cited 2024 Sep 10]; 13: 243. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4513970/
- University of Rochester Medical Center. Taurine [Internet]. University of Rochester Medical Center [cited 2024 Sep 10]. Available from: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=19&contentid=Taurine
- Kurtz JA, VanDusseldorp TA, Doyle JA, Otis JS. Taurine in sports and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition [Internet]. 2021 26 May [cited 2024 Sep 10]. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12970-021-00438-0
- British Nutrition Foundation (BNF). Protein [Internet]. BNF [reviewed 2023 Oct; cited 2024 Sep 10]. Available from: https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutritional-information/protein/?level=Health%20professional
- Waldron M, Patterson SD, Tallent J, Jeffries O. The Effects of an Oral Taurine Dose and Supplementation Period on Endurance Exercise Performance in Humans: A Meta-Analysis. Sports Med [Internet]. 2018 May [cited 2024 Sep 10]; 48(5): 1247-53. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29546641/
- Marcinkiewicz J, Kontny E. Taurine and inflammatory diseases. Amino Acids [Internet]. 2012 Jul 19 [cited 2024 Sep 10]; 46: 7-20. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00726-012-1361-4
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