Taurine is a small sulfur-containing molecule found in meat, fish and shellfish, and in almost every tissue of the body. Plainly said, it is not a protein amino acid. It is an amino sulfonic acid. It carries a sulfonate group where other amino acids carry a carboxyl group, and the body does not build it into proteins.
Reviews call it conditionally essential in people, meaning the body usually makes enough, but not always. The sources differ, though. The WHO/FAO/UNU 2007 report lists taurine among the amino acids that can become indispensable under specific conditions.
The US National Academies (2005) and EFSA (2012), the EU’s food safety agency, mention it only as something the body makes from other amino acids. They set no requirement. Reviews and a 1985 study say it must come from outside for premature babies and for people fed through a vein for years.
Taurine is a product, not a building block. The body makes it from cysteine. It uses taurine to join bile acids (making bile salts) and to help cells control their volume and calcium. In mitochondria, it is used to modify a transfer RNA.
Plants contain none, so a vegan diet supplies almost none. Yet the blood levels of vegan men were only a little lower than those of meat eaters.
Here is what most readers do not know. In 2023 a paper in the journal Science reported that blood taurine falls with age and that taurine lengthened life in mice. In 2025 another Science paper found that blood taurine rose or stayed the same with age. That held in three human cohorts (groups of people followed over time), monkeys and mice.
We found no trial of taurine for lifespan in people. Cats, by contrast, really do need it from food. A taurine-poor diet damaged their retinas in a 1975 experiment.
Health benefits of taurine
Taurine trials are small. Most test supplements of 1 to 6 g a day, many times what food gives (about 40 to 400 mg).
The best-supported finding is a small drop in blood pressure. A meta-analysis (a study that pools the results of many trials) looked at 34 randomized trials, where chance decides who gets what. Systolic pressure (the top number) fell about 4.4 mmHg and diastolic (the bottom number) about 2.5 mmHg. The unit mmHg, millimeters of mercury, is the standard unit for blood pressure.
Single, short trials in heart failure, diabetes and liver disease are small. A meta-analysis of seven trials found no gain in thinking skills. None of the findings reaches strong evidence. The EU Register lists the taurine claims it covers, such as helping to delay the onset of fatigue, as not authorized.
The much-discussed claim that taurine slows aging rests on a 2023 study in worms, mice and monkeys. A 2025 study in people did not support it. Here is what 18 studies found, strongest evidence first, including the trials that found nothing.
In 34 randomized trials, oral taurine lowered blood pressure compared with control
This meta-analysis looked at taurine supplements in adults. Taurine lowered systolic blood pressure by 4.38 mmHg and diastolic by 2.54 mmHg. It also lowered fasting glucose (by 5.90 mg/dL) and HbA1c, a measure of long-term blood sugar (by 0.21%). Triglycerides (14.42 mg/dL), LDL cholesterol (5.08 mg/dL) and markers of inflammation fell too. In the subgroup analyses, a daily dose of 1.5 to 3.0 g worked best. Trials of 8 weeks or longer did better for glucose and blood fats. The abstract does not rate the quality of the trials.
In preterm babies, taurine increased fat absorption but did not change growth
This Cochrane review compared taurine with no taurine in nine small trials with 189 preterm or low-birth-weight infants. Cochrane is a group known for careful reviews of trials. Most infants were past 30 weeks of gestation and clinically stable. Eight of the nine trials gave taurine in formula milk, and one gave it by vein. Fat absorption rose by 4.0 percent of intake. Weight gain, length and head growth did not differ significantly. There were no data on long-term growth or brain outcomes. The authors expect taurine to keep being added to formula and intravenous feeding solutions anyway.
In seven trials with 402 people, taurine did not improve cognitive scores
This meta-analysis pooled randomized trials in people with and without cognitive impairment (9 intervention comparisons). Taurine alone, or with exercise training, had no significant effect on thinking scores. Adding taurine to medicines did not beat the medicines alone overall. One subgroup analysis found a higher Mini-Mental State Examination score, by 3.09 points on average. The authors conclude that the evidence does not support taurine for cognition.
In prehypertension, taurine lowered blood pressure more than placebo
In this randomized, double-blind trial (nobody knew who got what), 120 people had prehypertension, blood pressure just above normal. They took 1.6 g of taurine a day or a placebo, a dummy pill, for 12 weeks. Clinic systolic pressure fell 7.2 mmHg on taurine, against 2.6 mmHg on placebo. Clinic diastolic pressure fell 4.7 against 1.3 mmHg. On a 24-hour portable monitor (ambulatory pressure), it fell 3.8 against 0.3 mmHg (systolic) and 3.5 against 0.6 mmHg (diastolic). Taurine also improved blood vessel widening and raised plasma hydrogen sulfide and taurine. The drop was largest in people with high-normal pressure. It is a single trial, with authors from one hospital in China.
Show 14 more studies
In seven studies, oral taurine lowered blood pressure by about 3 mmHg
This meta-analysis covered 103 people in studies of oral taurine on its own, compared with control. Doses were 1 to 6 g a day, for periods from 1 day to 12 weeks. The pooled effect size (Hedges’ g, a standard measure) was -0.70 for systolic and -0.62 for diastolic pressure. Systolic changes ranged from 0 to 15 mmHg, and diastolic from 0 to 7 mmHg. No adverse events were reported. The authors call the findings preliminary.
A week of taurine did not beat placebo significantly on blood pressure
In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 19 young people with borderline high blood pressure took 6 g of taurine a day or placebo for 7 days. Ten took taurine and 9 took placebo. Systolic pressure fell 9.0 mmHg on taurine against 2.7 mmHg on placebo, which was not statistically significant (it could be chance). Diastolic pressure fell 4.1 against 1.2 mmHg, also not significant, and plasma epinephrine (adrenaline) fell on taurine. The trial was tiny and short, and the dose is far above what food gives.
In heart failure, added taurine improved symptom class more than placebo
In this double-blind, randomized crossover trial, each person tried both taurine and placebo. The 14 people had congestive heart failure and took taurine for 4 weeks on top of usual treatment. Taurine improved their New York Heart Association class, a scale of how much heart failure limits daily life. It also reduced lung crackles and chest film abnormalities. No patient worsened on taurine, while four worsened on placebo, and no side effects occurred. The abstract gives no dose. It is a very small trial from 1985, and we found no larger trial that repeated it.
In heart failure, taurine increased exercise time compared with placebo
In this randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 29 people with heart failure took 500 mg of taurine three times a day, or placebo, for 2 weeks. They had an ejection fraction below 50%, the share of blood the heart pumps out with each beat. They were in New York Heart Association class II or III. Fifteen took taurine and 14 took placebo, all on standard treatment. Exercise time, metabolic equivalents and exercise distance rose significantly on taurine but not on placebo. Most patients were men (26 of 29), and the trial was short and small.
In diabetes, taurine lowered fasting glucose but not HbA1c
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial included 45 people with type 2 diabetes. For 8 weeks, 23 took 3 g of taurine a day and 22 took a placebo. Compared with placebo, taurine lowered fasting glucose, insulin and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, but not HbA1c. Insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and total cholesterol also fell on taurine. Triglycerides, HDL (“good”) cholesterol and body measures did not change. A second paper from the same group (Esmaeili et al., 2021, Can J Diabetes) had 46 patients, the same dose and the same length. It reported lower HbA1c and glycation markers, so the two may describe one trial.
In liver disease, taurine cut cramps by seven a fortnight versus placebo
In this randomized, double-blind crossover trial, 49 people with chronic liver disease enrolled, and each took taurine and placebo for 4 weeks. Only the 30 who finished were analyzed. Compared with placebo, 2 g of taurine a day cut the number of cramps. Cramps were also shorter (89 minutes less a fortnight) and less severe (1.4 units on a Likert rating scale). Taurine raised serum taurine, and no side effects were linked to it.
In 22 people with cirrhosis, taurine lowered portal vein pressure by 12%
This randomized proof-of-concept study gave people with cirrhosis 6 g of taurine a day (12 people) or placebo (10) for 4 weeks. The portal vein carries blood from the gut to the liver. Everyone had a hepatic venous pressure gradient, a measure of that pressure, of at least 12 mmHg. Placebo raised it by 2%. On taurine, the gradient dropped from 20 to 18 mmHg, and 7 of 12 had a response above 10%, against none on placebo. Taurine had no significant effect on circulation elsewhere in the body. Gut discomfort and fatigue were mild and similar in both groups.
In advanced cirrhosis, taurine did not reduce fatigue more than usual care
In this open-label randomized trial, 220 people with decompensated cirrhosis (cirrhosis with complications) were randomized, and 202 finished. They took 1 g of taurine a day or had usual care for 12 weeks. Open-label means people knew their group, and they rated their own fatigue. The Fatigue Assessment Scale score fell 8.08 points on taurine and 6.83 on usual care, a difference of -1.25 that could be chance. A subgroup of 41 people without anemia, analyzed after the fact (post hoc), improved more on taurine. The authors call this hypothesis-generating. Mild adverse events occurred in 11.8% of the taurine group.
In 10 MELAS patients, taurine cut stroke-like episodes, no control group
MELAS is a rare inherited disease of the mitochondria, the cell’s energy compartments. In it, a mitochondrial transfer RNA lacks its taurine modification. This multicenter, open-label phase III trial in Japan had no control group. Ten patients took 9 or 12 g of taurine a day for 52 weeks, and stroke-like episodes fell from 2.22 to 0.72 a year. During the year, 60% had no episodes and 80% had at least half as many. Five showed more taurine modification of the RNA, and no severe adverse events were linked to taurine. Ten patients with a rare disease say little about healthy people.
Long-term vein feeding: children had low taurine; adding it improved eye tests
This was not a randomized trial. It followed 44 people fed through a vein at home: 21 children and 23 adults. They had been fed this way for an average of 27 months, with solutions that did not ordinarily contain taurine. Plasma taurine was low in the children: 26 against 57 µmol/L in controls (µmol/L, micromoles per liter, measures concentration). The eye test (electroretinogram) was abnormal in all eight children examined. Adding taurine to the solutions restored plasma levels in four children, and the test also became normal in three of them. Adults who absorbed little food by gut had low taurine too. The authors concluded that people on long-term intravenous feeding need taurine.
Vegan men passed less than a third as much taurine in urine
This study compared 12 vegan men with 14 omnivore men, who eat both plant and animal foods. Urinary taurine was 266 against 903 µmol a day. The vegans had followed a vegan diet for an average of 53 months, and their diet records showed negligible taurine. Plasma taurine was also lower (45 against 58 µmol/L). The authors conclude that a long absence of dietary taurine lowers plasma taurine and restricts urinary output. The study is small, and it measured blood and urine levels, not health outcomes.
In people, monkeys and mice, blood taurine did not fall with age
Researchers at the US National Institute on Aging measured taurine in three human cohorts, monkeys and mice. They tracked the same individuals over time and compared age groups. Circulating taurine rose or stayed the same with age instead of falling. Links between taurine and gross motor function or energy handling varied a lot from person to person. The authors conclude that a change in circulating taurine is not a universal feature of aging. The study tests the idea proposed in the 2023 Science paper below.
Blood taurine was not linked to age, muscle or fitness in men
This cross-sectional study, which takes a single snapshot, measured 137 physically inactive and physically active men aged 20 to 93. Circulating taurine was not linked to age, muscle mass, strength, physical performance or mitochondrial function. The authors say the result challenges taurine deficiency as a primary driver of aging in humans. It shows blood levels at one point in time and cannot tell whether taurine pills would help or not.
In worms and mice, taurine lengthened healthy life; human data are associations
This paper combined animal experiments with human association data. Taurine supplements increased healthy lifespan in worms and mice, and healthspan (years in good health) in monkeys. Circulating taurine fell with age in mice, monkeys and humans. Taurine reduced cell senescence (cell aging), DNA damage and inflammation in the animals, and mice lived longer. In people, lower taurine went with several age-related diseases in observational data, and taurine rose after acute endurance exercise. The authors call for human trials. A 2025 Science paper above did not find the fall with age.
Foods high in taurine
Taurine comes from animal foods. In a Chinese survey, crustaceans and molluscs had the most: 300 to 800 mg per 100 g of edible portion. These are shellfish such as shrimp, crab, clams and squid. Beef, pork and lamb carried 30 to 160 mg per 100 g, and fish varied a lot between species.
No taurine was detected in hen eggs or in plant foods. A US survey of 48 plant foods, including vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruits and legumes, found none either, while meats and dairy products did contain it. This page has no USDA ranking for taurine, so the numbers here are published measurements, not food-database values.
Cooking changes the amount. In a study of animal feed ingredients, boiling or basting in water lost more taurine, while baking or frying kept more. Processed seafood lost up to 100% of its taurine compared with fresh. The losses were larger in products soaked in brine or minced and washed.
| Food | Taurine, as published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Crustaceans and molluscs, freshly collected on four Chinese coasts | 300 to 800 mg per 100 g edible portion | 1 |
| Beef, pork and lamb, from food markets | 30 to 160 mg per 100 g | 1 |
| Fish, marine and fresh water | varied between species; the abstract gives no range | 1 |
| Hen eggs | not detected | 1 |
| Plant foods | not detected (also none in 48 plant foods in a second survey) | 1, 2 |
| Dairy products | detected; the abstract gives no amount | 2 |
Typical diets give far less than supplements do. EFSA reviewed estimates of about 58 mg a day on omnivore diets (range 9 to 372 mg). Another put intake under 200 mg a day, even for people eating a lot of meat. A third study gave 40 to 400 mg a day.
In a Japanese cohort of 1,454 adults, the estimate was 207.5 mg a day. About 80% of it came from fish and shellfish, mainly oysters, octopus and saury. Chinese men ate 34 to 80 mg a day in a 1990 survey.
By our arithmetic, 100 g of crustaceans or molluscs holds 300 to 800 mg. That is about 5 to 14 times the 58 mg estimated for omnivores. A 250 mL energy drink at 4,000 mg/L holds 1,000 mg.
Because taurine is not part of proteins, protein quality scores do not count it. A vegan diet supplies almost none. Taurine was absent from the vegan diets in one study, and the vegan men in another had a negligible intake.
Sources
- Zhao X, Jia J, Lin Y. Taurine content in Chinese food and daily intake of Chinese men. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1998.
- Laidlaw SA, Grosvenor M, Kopple JD. The taurine content of common foodstuffs. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 1990.
- Dragnes BT, Larsen R, Ernstsen MH, Mæhre H, Elvevoll EO. Impact of processing on the taurine content in processed seafood and their corresponding unprocessed raw materials. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2009.
- Spitze AR, Wong DL, Rogers QR, Fascetti AJ. Taurine concentrations in animal feed ingredients; cooking influences taurine content. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl). 2003.
- EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS). The use of taurine and D-glucurono-γ-lactone as constituents of the so-called “energy” drinks. EFSA J. 2009;935:1-31.
- Domoto T, Kise K, Oyama Y, et al. Association of taurine intake with changes in physical fitness among community-dwelling middle-aged and older Japanese adults: an 8-year longitudinal study. Front Nutr. 2024.
- Rana SK, Sanders TA. Taurine concentrations in the diet, plasma, urine and breast milk of vegans compared with omnivores. Br J Nutr. 1986.
- Laidlaw SA, Shultz TD, Cecchino JT, Kopple JD. Plasma and urine taurine levels in vegans. Am J Clin Nutr. 1988.
How taurine works
Most of what follows comes from reviews, cell studies and animal work, and human physiology data are thinner. A few ideas cover most of it. The body makes taurine from cysteine and takes more from food, and cells hold it at high levels with a transporter. It joins bile acids, helps cells manage volume and calcium, and modifies mitochondrial RNA.
A last part covers the aging question, which is where the evidence disagrees. Here is each idea, and what has been seen in people.
The body makes some from cysteine, and takes the rest from food
A review of the biochemistry describes the main route. It runs from cysteine through cysteine sulfinic acid to hypotaurine, and oxidation of hypotaurine gives taurine. The enzyme that processes cysteine sulfinic acid (a decarboxylase) is present in low amounts in cats, humans and other primates. So meat, seafood or supplements help keep tissue levels up, according to the same review.
EFSA says taurine is mainly made from cysteine in the liver, and the National Academies list cysteine as its precursor (starting material). Taurine taken by mouth is readily absorbed: in eight men, a 4 g dose peaked in the blood after about 1.5 hours. Human milk supplies it to infants, and formula and intravenous feeding solutions are supplemented with it.
Three routes into the body’s taurine pool. Not to scale.
Cells hold it at high levels with a transporter
Taurine is one of the most abundant amino acids in the brain, retina, heart and muscle. The review of the biochemistry describes a high-affinity transporter, TauT, which grabs taurine tightly. It takes in one taurine together with two to three sodium ions and one chloride ion. A 2024 paper reports that the body holds taurine equal to about 0.1% of body weight, over half of it in muscle.
The kidney helps keep the pool steady. When infants get a taurine-free formula or intravenous solution, urinary taurine falls, which shows the kidney trying to conserve it. Very-low-birth-weight infants cannot raise reabsorption fully, so they are at greater risk of running low.
It makes bile salts better at handling fat
Taurine and glycine are the two amino acids that join bile acids. Bile acids joined to taurine are better at emulsifying fat than those joined to glycine, according to a review of infant nutrition. Emulsifying means breaking fat into tiny droplets.
So dietary or intravenous taurine influences fat absorption. In the Cochrane review of preterm infants, taurine raised fat absorption by 4.0 percent of intake, although growth did not change.
It helps cells control volume and calcium
Taurine is an organic osmolyte. That means cells release or take it up to return to their normal volume after swelling or shrinking, notably in the brain and kidney. It also plays a role in adjusting free calcium inside cells, and it protects cells from stress in cell and animal studies. Much of this is lab work.
The review authors point out that no taurine-specific receptor has been identified, so the exact cell mechanisms are not fully known.
It tags mitochondrial RNA
In mitochondria, the cell’s energy compartments, taurine is attached to a uridine in some transfer RNAs. This tag helps the cell translate a subunit of the first complex of the respiratory chain. In people with MELAS, mutations in mitochondrial DNA cause a defect in this tag. That is why a high-dose taurine trial was run in that disease.
In old mice, the 2023 Science paper reported that the tag in liver RNA fell by more than 60% compared with young liver. Taurine supplements held the loss to about 20%.
Three jobs of taurine in the body. Not to scale.
Why the aging story is contested
The 2023 Science paper measured serum taurine in mice, monkeys and people. In mice it fell from 132.3 ng/mL at 4 weeks to 40.2 ng/mL at 56 weeks. In 15-year-old monkeys it was 85% lower than in 5-year-old ones. In elderly people it was more than 80% lower than in younger ones.
Mice given 1,000 mg per kg of body weight a day from 14 months of age lived 10 to 12% longer at the median. Monkeys given 250 mg per kg for 6 months gained 0.75 kg less weight and had higher bone density. In 11,966 people in the EPIC-Norfolk study, higher blood taurine went with lower body mass index, less type 2 diabetes and lower C-reactive protein. These are associations, and the authors say so.
By our arithmetic, 3 g a day gives a 70 kg adult about 43 mg per kg. So the mouse dose was about 23 times higher per kg, and doses do not scale one to one between species.
Later work did not find the fall. In 2025, researchers at the National Institute on Aging reported that blood taurine rose or stayed the same with age. That held in three human cohorts, and in monkeys and mice. A separate study of 137 men found no link between taurine and age, muscle or fitness.
A 2026 study of 146 adults found a pattern that did not rise or fall steadily (non-monotonic). Taurine was highest in robust older adults, lowest in prefrail ones and in between in frail ones. The fair summary is that taurine falls with age in some analyses and not in others. Nobody has shown that raising it extends human life.
What has been seen in people
The human evidence is modest. Pooled trials show a small drop in blood pressure (about 4.4 and 2.5 mmHg) and in fasting glucose. Trials in heart failure, cirrhosis and diabetes are small and short. In MELAS, 10 patients on high doses had fewer stroke-like episodes.
In infants and in people on long-term intravenous feeding, adding taurine reversed low taurine and eye changes, which is why it is added. Cohort data on aging conflict. The cards above carry the details, and the chart below shows how a diet without taurine shows up in the body.
Urinary taurine over 24 hours and plasma taurine in vegan and omnivore men. Drawn to scale, each pair on its own scale. Small groups: 12 vegan and 14 omnivore men.
Sources
- Ripps H, Shen W. Review: taurine: a “very essential” amino acid. Mol Vis. 2012.
- Lourenço R, Camilo ME. Taurine: a conditionally essential amino acid in humans? An overview in health and disease. Nutr Hosp. 2002.
- Gaull GE. Taurine in pediatric nutrition: review and update. Pediatrics. 1989.
- Chesney RW, Helms RA, Christensen M, Budreau AM, Han X, Sturman JA. The role of taurine in infant nutrition. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1998.
- Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for energy, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, and amino acids. National Academies Press. 2005.
- EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS). The use of taurine and D-glucurono-γ-lactone as constituents of the so-called “energy” drinks. EFSA J. 2009;935:1-31.
- Verner A, Craig S, McGuire W. Effect of taurine supplementation on growth and development in preterm or low birth weight infants. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007.
- Ghandforoush-Sattari M, Mashayekhi S, Krishna CV, Thompson JP, Routledge PA. Pharmacokinetics of oral taurine in healthy volunteers. J Amino Acids. 2010.
- Singh P, Gollapalli K, Mangiola S, et al. Taurine deficiency as a driver of aging. Science. 2023.
- Fernandez ME, Bernier M, Price NL, et al. Is taurine an aging biomarker?. Science. 2025.
- Marcangeli V, Cefis M, Hammad R, et al. Experimental evidence against taurine deficiency as a driver of aging in humans. Aging Cell. 2025.
- Kim A, Keener R, Omdahl A, et al. Frailty phenotype reveals heterogeneity in aging and distinct taurine associations. NPJ Aging. 2026.
- Ohsawa Y, Hagiwara H, Nishimatsu SI, et al. Taurine supplementation for prevention of stroke-like episodes in MELAS: a multicentre, open-label, 52-week phase III trial. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2019.
- Esmaeili F, Maleki V, Kheirouri S, Alizadeh M. The effects of taurine supplementation on metabolic profiles, pentosidine, soluble receptor of advanced glycation end products and methylglyoxal in adults with type 2 diabetes: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Can J Diabetes. 2021.
- Domoto T, Kise K, Oyama Y, et al. Association of taurine intake with changes in physical fitness among community-dwelling middle-aged and older Japanese adults: an 8-year longitudinal study. Front Nutr. 2024.
How much taurine do you need?
No daily amount of taurine is set. The WHO/FAO/UNU 2007 report names taurine among the amino acids that can become indispensable. But it gives requirements for the nine indispensable amino acids only.
The National Academies (2005) list taurine only as a product of cysteine and a partner of glycine in bile acids. EFSA’s 2012 protein opinion names six conditionally indispensable amino acids, which do not include taurine. Neither the FDA nor the EU has set a label value, such as a Daily Value or an EU Reference Intake. So there is no table on this page.
What people take in is better known. A typical omnivore diet gives well under 400 mg a day, as the food section shows. Human milk supplies taurine to babies: it is the most abundant free amino acid in breast milk, according to the Cochrane review.
Formula makers add it. A 1989 review says taurine was already added to many infant formulas. The Cochrane review calls supplementing formula and intravenous solutions current standard practice. We found no values for children, pregnancy or breastfeeding beyond that, because no requirement exists.
Taurine deficiency: signs and who is at risk
Healthy adults who eat meat or seafood have no known taurine deficiency. The groups that sources flag are these.
- People on long-term intravenous feeding. Among 44 people fed this way for more than 2 years on average, plasma taurine was low in children. It was also low in adults who absorbed little food by gut. Eye tests were abnormal in children. A second study of 40 adults looked at those who absorbed under a quarter of their calories. Their taurine was 35 to 49% of normal in plasma and most blood cells. Adding taurine restored plasma levels in four children. This is why taurine is added to these solutions.
- Premature and very-low-birth-weight babies. A 2002 review calls taurine an essential amino acid for preterm infants, whose kidneys cannot conserve it fully. A 1998 review reports that in infants, too little taurine impaired fat absorption, bile acid secretion, retinal function and liver function. Taurine supplements reversed these problems. Randomized trials in stable, mostly larger preterm babies found no growth benefit.
- Other conditions. The 2002 review says people with chronic liver, heart or kidney failure may be at risk. It adds that more studies are needed to show whether replacing taurine helps them.
- Vegans. Vegan men had low urinary taurine and slightly lower plasma taurine, and breast milk of vegan mothers had only slightly less than that of omnivores. We found no study that links a vegan diet to a taurine deficiency disease.
Cats are the textbook case of a dietary need. In a 1975 experiment, cats fed a casein (milk protein) diet developed degeneration of the retina’s light-sensing cells. They had low taurine in plasma and retina. A 1989 review sums up the species: taurine is nonessential in rodents, essential in cats and conditionally essential in humans and monkeys.
Sources
- WHO/FAO/UNU expert consultation. Protein and amino acid requirements in human nutrition: report of a joint WHO/FAO/UNU expert consultation. WHO Technical Report Series 935. World Health Organization. 2007.
- Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for energy, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, and amino acids. National Academies Press. 2005.
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA). Scientific opinion on dietary reference values for protein. EFSA J. 2012.
- Verner A, Craig S, McGuire W. Effect of taurine supplementation on growth and development in preterm or low birth weight infants. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007.
- Gaull GE. Taurine in pediatric nutrition: review and update. Pediatrics. 1989.
- Chesney RW, Helms RA, Christensen M, Budreau AM, Han X, Sturman JA. The role of taurine in infant nutrition. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1998.
- Lourenço R, Camilo ME. Taurine: a conditionally essential amino acid in humans? An overview in health and disease. Nutr Hosp. 2002.
- Geggel HS, Ament ME, Heckenlively JR, Martin DA, Kopple JD. Nutritional requirement for taurine in patients receiving long-term parenteral nutrition. N Engl J Med. 1985.
- Vinton NE, Laidlaw SA, Ament ME, Kopple JD. Taurine concentrations in plasma and blood cells of patients undergoing long-term parenteral nutrition. Am J Clin Nutr. 1986.
- Laidlaw SA, Shultz TD, Cecchino JT, Kopple JD. Plasma and urine taurine levels in vegans. Am J Clin Nutr. 1988.
- Rana SK, Sanders TA. Taurine concentrations in the diet, plasma, urine and breast milk of vegans compared with omnivores. Br J Nutr. 1986.
- Hayes KC, Carey RE, Schmidt SY. Retinal degeneration associated with taurine deficiency in the cat. Science. 1975.
Forms of taurine: absorption and effects
Taurine reaches people in five main ways. It comes as the free compound in capsules, powder or drinks, and in energy drinks and shots with caffeine. It is also in infant formula and intravenous solutions, in food, and in mineral salts such as magnesium taurate.
Unlike minerals, there is no list of forms with known absorption rates. We found no human trial that compared one form with another, or that compared free taurine with taurine from food.
The honest bottom line: for taurine, the form is rarely the question. The trials above used free taurine supplements. Doses were 1.6 g a day for blood pressure in prehypertension and 3 g for diabetes. They were 6 g for borderline hypertension and portal pressure, and 9 to 12 g for MELAS.
Energy drinks are the form most people actually meet, and in their trials caffeine, not taurine, explains the effects. We found no trial of magnesium taurate alone. The table and the four studies below cover what exists.
| Form | What it is | What studies show | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free taurine (capsules, powder) | The single compound, 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid | Trials used 0.5 to 6 g a day, and 9 to 12 g in MELAS. A 4 g dose peaked in blood at 1.5 hours with a half-life of 1 hour. A 2008 risk assessment found strong evidence of no adverse effects up to 3 g a day. | 1, 2, 3, 13 |
| Energy drinks and shots | Taurine with caffeine and other ingredients; typical drink: about 4,000 mg/L taurine and 300 to 320 mg/L caffeine | In trials of the mix, caffeine rather than taurine accounted for the effects, and sprint performance did not improve. EFSA judged the taurine in these drinks not of safety concern. | 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| Magnesium taurate | A magnesium salt of taurine, often sold with other minerals | One uncontrolled study of magnesium taurate with potassium citrate saw lower blood pressure. In healthy men, taurine (3 g a day) or magnesium (340 mg a day) for 2 weeks raised endothelial progenitor cell colony counts, a cell marker and not a health outcome. We found no controlled trial of the salt alone. | 8, 9 |
| Infant formula and intravenous solutions | Taurine added to the feed | Standard practice for formula and parenteral feeds. In nine small trials it raised fat absorption but not growth. | 10, 11 |
| Taurine in food | Naturally present in meat, fish and shellfish | Provides roughly 40 to 400 mg a day. We found no study comparing absorption of food-bound and free taurine. | 4, 12 |
Here are the studies that show how a pure dose behaves or that test taurine inside a mix, four in all.
In 8 men, taurine peaked in the blood after about 1.5 hours
This pharmacokinetic study, which tracks how the body absorbs and clears a substance, gave healthy men a single 4 g dose of free taurine. They took it fasting in the morning, and their median age was 27.5. Blood levels peaked at 86.1 mg/L at 1.5 hours (standard deviation 0.6). The half-life, the time for levels to fall by half, was about 1 hour (1.0). It shows how fast a pure taurine dose is absorbed and cleared, not what it does for health.
Caffeine plus taurine did not improve repeated sprint power compared with placebo
In this double-blind crossover trial, 11 men took a capsule or placebo. The capsule held 80 mg of caffeine and 1 g of taurine, the amounts found in popular energy drinks. They took it an hour before ten 6-second cycling sprints. Peak power differed trivially, and fatigue was greater at the tenth sprint. Heart rate and blood lactate were higher. This was a caffeine and taurine mix, so no result can be credited to taurine alone.
For caffeine users, taurine did not improve attention or memory; caffeine did
In this randomized, double-blind trial, 48 habitual caffeine users each received caffeine (200 mg), taurine (2,000 mg), both or neither on four days. Each test came after 24 hours without caffeine, and a glucose drink was tested on top. Taurine increased choice reaction time (slower responses) but shortened reaction time in the working memory tasks. The authors conclude that caffeine, not taurine or glucose, is likely responsible for the thinking effects reported after energy drinks.
With no control group, a taurate mix went with lower blood pressure
This single-arm observational study had no control group. It followed 121 adults with elevated blood pressure who declined blood pressure drugs, and 110 were analyzed. They took magnesium taurate with potassium citrate, plus lifestyle advice, for 3 months. The daily product gave 121 mg of magnesium and 180 mg of potassium. Clinic pressure fell by 12/9 mmHg, and ambulatory pressure, measured with a portable monitor, by 11/8 mmHg. Because it was a mix with no control group, the result cannot be credited to taurine, magnesium or potassium alone. The abstract does not state how much taurine the product held.
Sources
- Ghandforoush-Sattari M, Mashayekhi S, Krishna CV, Thompson JP, Routledge PA. Pharmacokinetics of oral taurine in healthy volunteers. J Amino Acids. 2010.
- Shao A, Hathcock JN. Risk assessment for the amino acids taurine, L-glutamine and L-arginine. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2008.
- Tzang CC, Chi LY, Lin LH, et al. Taurine reduces the risk for metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Diabetes. 2024.
- EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS). The use of taurine and D-glucurono-γ-lactone as constituents of the so-called “energy” drinks. EFSA J. 2009;935:1-31.
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA). Scientific opinion on the safety of caffeine. EFSA J. 2015;13(5):4102.
- Jeffries O, Hill J, Patterson SD, Waldron M. Energy drink doses of caffeine and taurine have a null or negative effect on sprint performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2020.
- Giles GE, Mahoney CR, Brunyé TT, Gardony AL, Taylor HA, Kanarek RB. Differential cognitive effects of energy drink ingredients: caffeine, taurine, and glucose. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2012.
- Dereli S. Effects of magnesium taurate-potassium citrate on blood pressure and vascular stiffness in low-risk adults with elevated blood pressure. Magnes Res. 2026.
- Katakawa M, Fukuda N, Tsunemi A, et al. Taurine and magnesium supplementation enhances the function of endothelial progenitor cells through antioxidation in healthy men and spontaneously hypertensive rats. Hypertens Res. 2016.
- Verner A, Craig S, McGuire W. Effect of taurine supplementation on growth and development in preterm or low birth weight infants. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007.
- Gaull GE. Taurine in pediatric nutrition: review and update. Pediatrics. 1989.
- Zhao X, Jia J, Lin Y. Taurine content in Chinese food and daily intake of Chinese men. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1998.
- Ohsawa Y, Hagiwara H, Nishimatsu SI, et al. Taurine supplementation for prevention of stroke-like episodes in MELAS: a multicentre, open-label, 52-week phase III trial. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2019.
Is taurine safe? Supplements, dose and interactions
Taurine from food is not a concern for most people. We found no tolerable upper intake level (UL) for taurine from the National Academies or EFSA. A UL is the highest daily intake likely to pose no risk.
For taurine in energy drinks, EFSA’s 2009 panel confirmed a no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) from a 13-week rat study. It was 1,000 mg per kg of body weight a day (1,500 mg per kg for behavior). A NOAEL is the highest dose with no harm seen.
For a 60 kg person, that is 120 times the estimated mean exposure from energy drinks, 500 mg a day. It is 43 times the estimated 95th-percentile exposure, 1,400 mg a day. The panel concluded those exposures were not of safety concern.
An EU committee in 2003 had not set an upper level, because the behavior effects had no NOAEL. In 2015, EFSA added a point about caffeine. Taurine at the typical 4,000 mg/L in energy drinks would not affect the safety of single caffeine doses up to 200 mg.
The often-quoted “observed safe level” of 3 g a day is not an EFSA figure. It comes from a 2008 risk assessment by Shao and Hathcock. They found strong evidence of no adverse effects at supplemental intakes up to 3 g a day. They say the data for higher intakes are not enough for a confident long-term conclusion.
One author writes from the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a supplement industry trade group. It is the authors’ value, not an official limit.
- Doses used in trials. A meta-analysis of 25 trials with 1,024 people found no significant adverse effects against control. The doses were 0.5 to 6 g a day, for 5 to 365 days. At 6 g a day for 4 weeks, gut discomfort and fatigue were mild and similar to placebo. In 10 patients with MELAS, 9 to 12 g a day for 52 weeks caused no severe adverse events. Mild events occurred in 11.8% of people taking 1 g a day for fatigue in cirrhosis.
- Energy drinks. The concerns are mostly about caffeine. EFSA 2009 said that a causal link between case reports and taurine lacked scientific evidence. EFSA 2015 found no safety concern for single caffeine doses up to 200 mg. Nor did it for habitual intake up to 400 mg a day in non-pregnant adults. A review found moderate to severe effects in some young adults who drank about 1 liter. These included palpitations and a prolonged QTc interval, a change in the heart’s electrical timing. These drinks contain caffeine, so the effects cannot be credited to taurine. A caffeine and taurine mix raised blood pressure and lowered heart rate in one small trial.
- Blood pressure medicines. We found no study of taurine with these drugs. Because taurine lowered blood pressure by about 4 mmHg in trials, people who take blood pressure medicines should ask their doctor first.
- Other drug interactions. We found no reported interaction of taurine supplements with medicines.
- Who should ask a doctor. Anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding, or has kidney or liver disease. We found no trial of taurine supplements in pregnancy or breastfeeding. In cirrhosis, studies used 1 to 6 g a day, with mixed results. The 1,000 mg per kg used in mouse aging studies is not a human dose.
Sources
- EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS). The use of taurine and D-glucurono-γ-lactone as constituents of the so-called “energy” drinks. EFSA J. 2009;935:1-31.
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA). Scientific opinion on the safety of caffeine. EFSA J. 2015;13(5):4102.
- Shao A, Hathcock JN. Risk assessment for the amino acids taurine, L-glutamine and L-arginine. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2008.
- Tzang CC, Chi LY, Lin LH, et al. Taurine reduces the risk for metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Diabetes. 2024.
- Schwarzer R, Kivaranovic D, Mandorfer M, et al. Randomised clinical study: the effects of oral taurine 6g/day vs placebo on portal hypertension. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2018.
- Ohsawa Y, Hagiwara H, Nishimatsu SI, et al. Taurine supplementation for prevention of stroke-like episodes in MELAS: a multicentre, open-label, 52-week phase III trial. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2019.
- Sasidharan S, Philips CA, Tharakan A, et al. A randomized controlled trial of L-taurine for fatigue in decompensated cirrhosis. Hepatol Commun. 2026.
- Ehlers A, Marakis G, Lampen A, Hirsch-Ernst KI. Risk assessment of energy drinks with focus on cardiovascular parameters and energy drink consumption in Europe. Food Chem Toxicol. 2019.
- Dobrek L. The review on adverse effects of energy drinks and their potential drug interactions. Nutrients. 2025.
- Bichler A, Swenson A, Harris MA. A combination of caffeine and taurine has no effect on short term memory but induces changes in heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure. Amino Acids. 2006.
- Nie Z, Liu Y, Zhang M, et al. Effects of oral taurine supplementation on cardiometabolic risk factors: a meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized clinical trials. Nutr Rev. 2026.
- Singh P, Gollapalli K, Mangiola S, et al. Taurine deficiency as a driver of aging. Science. 2023.
- Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for energy, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, and amino acids. National Academies Press. 2005.
How to get more taurine
- Best foods. Shellfish and other crustaceans and molluscs have the most, 300 to 800 mg per 100 g in published measurements. Beef, pork and lamb have 30 to 160 mg. In Japan, about 80% of dietary taurine came from fish and shellfish.
- Cook with little water. Baking and frying kept more taurine than boiling or basting in a feed ingredient study, and processed seafood can lose much of it.
- Skip pills unless a doctor advises them. No trial shows that healthy people benefit, and trial doses of 0.5 to 6 g are far above food. Plant-based eaters make some taurine themselves, and plasma levels were only a little lower in vegan men (45 against 58 µmol/L).
Sources
- Zhao X, Jia J, Lin Y. Taurine content in Chinese food and daily intake of Chinese men. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1998.
- Domoto T, Kise K, Oyama Y, et al. Association of taurine intake with changes in physical fitness among community-dwelling middle-aged and older Japanese adults: an 8-year longitudinal study. Front Nutr. 2024.
- Spitze AR, Wong DL, Rogers QR, Fascetti AJ. Taurine concentrations in animal feed ingredients; cooking influences taurine content. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl). 2003.
- Dragnes BT, Larsen R, Ernstsen MH, Mæhre H, Elvevoll EO. Impact of processing on the taurine content in processed seafood and their corresponding unprocessed raw materials. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2009.
- Tzang CC, Chi LY, Lin LH, et al. Taurine reduces the risk for metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Diabetes. 2024.
- Laidlaw SA, Shultz TD, Cecchino JT, Kopple JD. Plasma and urine taurine levels in vegans. Am J Clin Nutr. 1988.
- Rana SK, Sanders TA. Taurine concentrations in the diet, plasma, urine and breast milk of vegans compared with omnivores. Br J Nutr. 1986.
History of taurine
Taurine was first isolated from ox bile in 1827 by the German scientists Friedrich Tiedemann and Leopold Gmelin. The name comes from the Latin taurus, bull or ox. A 1989 review recalls that for a long time it was treated as an end product of sulfur amino acid metabolism. It was then known mainly for its part in joining bile acids, the review says.
Two findings changed that view. In 1975, a Science paper showed that cats on a casein diet developed retinal degeneration tied to taurine deficiency.
In 1985, a New England Journal of Medicine study found low plasma taurine and abnormal eye tests in children on long-term intravenous feeding. Adding taurine restored levels in four of them. By 1989 taurine was being added to many infant formulas.
The aging story is recent. In 2023, a Science paper proposed taurine deficiency as a driver of aging. In 2025, another Science paper, from a different group, did not find a fall with age. No human trial has yet settled it.
Sources
- Taurine. Wikipedia.
- Ripps H, Shen W. Review: taurine: a “very essential” amino acid. Mol Vis. 2012.
- Gaull GE. Taurine in pediatric nutrition: review and update. Pediatrics. 1989.
- Hayes KC, Carey RE, Schmidt SY. Retinal degeneration associated with taurine deficiency in the cat. Science. 1975.
- Geggel HS, Ament ME, Heckenlively JR, Martin DA, Kopple JD. Nutritional requirement for taurine in patients receiving long-term parenteral nutrition. N Engl J Med. 1985.
- Singh P, Gollapalli K, Mangiola S, et al. Taurine deficiency as a driver of aging. Science. 2023.
- Fernandez ME, Bernier M, Price NL, et al. Is taurine an aging biomarker?. Science. 2025.
Frequently asked questions about taurine
Is taurine an amino acid, and is it essential?
Taurine is called an amino acid, but it is an amino sulfonic acid, and the body does not build it into proteins. It is not one of the nine essential amino acids. The WHO/FAO/UNU 2007 report lists it as conditionally indispensable, and reviews call it conditionally essential. It must come from outside for preterm infants and for people fed through a vein for years. Healthy adults make some from cysteine and get the rest from meat, fish and shellfish.
What foods are highest in taurine?
Crustaceans and molluscs have the most: 300 to 800 mg per 100 g in a Chinese survey. Beef, pork and lamb have 30 to 160 mg per 100 g, and fish varies by species. No taurine was found in hen eggs or in plant foods. Cooking in water loses more of it than baking or frying does.
Does taurine give you energy?
We found no trial showing that. The EU Register lists the taurine claims on energy metabolism and on delaying fatigue as not authorized. In a trial of caffeine and taurine at energy-drink doses, sprint power did not improve. In another trial, caffeine, not taurine, accounted for the better attention and memory.
Does taurine lower blood pressure or help the heart?
It lowers blood pressure a little. A meta-analysis of 34 trials found 4.38 mmHg lower systolic and 2.54 mmHg lower diastolic pressure. In a 120-person trial, 1.6 g a day lowered clinic systolic pressure by 7.2 mmHg, against 2.6 mmHg on placebo. In two small heart failure trials, taurine improved functional class and exercise time, but larger trials are missing.
Does taurine slow aging?
Not proven in people. A 2023 Science paper found that taurine extended healthy lifespan in worms and mice and healthspan in monkeys. But a 2025 Science paper found that blood taurine rose or stayed the same with age in three human cohorts, monkeys and mice. We found no trial of taurine for longevity in people.
Is the taurine in energy drinks safe?
EFSA’s 2009 panel judged taurine at energy-drink levels, typically about 4,000 mg/L, not of safety concern. It based this on a no-effect level of 1,000 mg per kg a day in rats. Most concerns are about caffeine. EFSA found no safety concern for single caffeine doses up to 200 mg and daily intake up to 400 mg in non-pregnant adults.
Do vegans need a taurine supplement?
There is no evidence that they do. Vegan diets supply almost no taurine. Vegan men had much lower urinary taurine, and plasma taurine of 45 against 58 µmol/L. We found no study showing a deficiency disease in vegans, but also no trial of taurine pills in vegans.
How much taurine is safe to take?
No official upper limit exists, but EFSA confirmed 1,000 mg per kg a day as a no-effect level in rats. A 2008 risk assessment by authors linked to a supplement trade group set 3 g a day as an observed safe level in healthy adults. Trials have used 6 g a day for 4 weeks, and 9 to 12 g a day for a year in 10 MELAS patients. Neither caused severe harm. Ask a doctor first if you are pregnant or have liver or kidney disease.