Taurine

Limited nutritional benefit

Taurine powder, an amino sulfonic acid found in meat and fish and in most energy drinks.

Taurine is made in the body and eaten with meat, fish and seafood; a mixed diet supplies a few hundred milligrams a day, and vegans get almost none from food. It is concentrated in muscle, heart and retina, and in studies 1-3 g a day has shown small effects on endurance and recovery, short of the claims made for it. It is the standard second ingredient of energy drinks, where the caffeine does the noticeable work. It is not built into protein and adds no calories at a normal dose.

As a supplement

Supplement page: dosing, interactions, lab tests →

Typical dose

1000–2000 mg

1× a day

Times

Any time

A usual adult range, not a national label — the dose and the timing differ by country and by product.

Used for

Physical performance
Energy

What to know while taking it

Meals make no difference to it, so timing is a matter of habit rather than absorption. Its effect on vascular tone and on sympathetic nervous activity means blood pressure can drift downward, which matters where readings already run low or where blood-pressure medication is in use. It is also a standard ingredient in energy drinks and pre-workout mixtures, so the amount arriving from all sources together is easy to underestimate.

When to see a doctor

Lightheadedness on standing, fainting, or blood-pressure readings that fall further than usual are reasons to see a doctor rather than to adjust anything unaided. The same applies when it is being combined with medication that already lowers blood pressure.