What is Taurine?
Taurine is an organic compound classified as an amino acid. Although it doesn’t have a carboxylic acid group similar to most amino acids, taurine derives from cysteine and methionine, two interconnected amino acids.
Cysteine is a semi-essential amino acid with sulfur, which contributes to protein development in your body. Methionine is an essential amino acid that makes the urine acidic. It helps combat urinary tract infections.
As an organic acid and a sulfonic acid, taurine contains sulfur. Science classifies it as a conditionally essential amino acid because your body mainly produces it to respond to illness or stress.
Taurine helps form bile salts, management of calcium levels in salts and modulation of neurotransmitter activity, such as sensitization, endocrine functions, sleep patterns and food intake.
Studies show that taurine has antioxidant properties, helping to prevent various diseases. Some athletes take amino acid capsules to enhance sports performance, support cardiovascular health and promote cognitive function (x).
High taurine concentrations are in body tissues, such as the heart, brain and muscles. Studies show it’s in animal and human cells in the large intestines and bile, where digestion happens. Concentrations of the amino acid in other areas of the body are skeletal muscles, cardiac muscles and white blood cells. And your central nervous system has traces of the amino acid.
Studies show that the body stops producing taurine when it experiences tension or a severe illness. Others hypothesize that the body conserves the amino acid to help sustain a healthy system when it’s ill or stressed (x).
Before starting a new supplement, like taurine, check with your healthcare provider. You want to ensure you will benefit from the amino acid.
Where Do You Get Taurine?
Food rich in protein has taurine, making it easy to find in food for consumption. Some of these foods are (x):
- Fish
- Beef
- Chicken
- Pork
- Eggs
- Breastmilk
- Seafood
- Milk
- Infant Formulas
Do Vegan and Vegetarian Diets Lack Taurine?
A study had 12 men on a strict vegan diet and 14 men on a nonvegetarian diet. Researchers check their plasma and urine taurine levels to determine if the taurine level in the body was healthy. The vegans had marginal to adequate intake of methionine, cystine and vitamin B6. Thus, the taurine intake level was low. The findings showed prolong absence of taurine absorption causes decreased plasma taurine levels and severely restricted urinary taurine output levels (x).
Vegetarian and vegan diets must supplement with taurine capsules to ensure their body has enough to help maintain a healthy system (x).
Vegans have a high chance of being deficient in taurine. Vegans can also eat foods high in methionine, cysteine and vitamin B6 to ensure they get enough taurine (x).
Vegan foods that are high in methionine:
- Beans: Navy, Soy, Pinto and Kidney
- Nuts and Seeds: Brazil nuts, Pistachios, Hemp seeds, Pumpkin seeds, Sunflower seeds and Flax seed
- Soy Products: Edamame and Tofu
- Whole Cereals: Quinoa and Rice
Vegan foods that are high in cysteine:
- Beans: Lentils, Chickpeas and Soybeans
- Soy Products: Edamame
- Whole Cereals: Oatmeal
- Nuts and Seeds: Chia seeds, Hemp seeds and sunflower seeds
Vegan foods that are high in vitamin B6:
- Soy Products: Edamame, tofu and tempeh
- Nuts and Seeds: Chestnuts, Pistachios and Sunflower seeds
- Vegetables: Spinach, Peas, Sweet Potatoes and Potatoes
- Fruits: Avocados and Bananas
Eating the above foods should help vegans get enough taurine, but supplementing with taurine capsules is a good idea.
Grab a handful of sunflower seeds regularly to ensure your taurine consumption is excellent. The seeds help heighten taurine synthesis because they are high in cysteine, methionine and vitamin B6 (x).
Benefits of Taurine
What are the benefits of taking taurine capsules?
Why should you take taurine capsules if the body produces the amino acid from your food? Studies show that taurine helps remedy several health concerns, such as immunity, diabetes, metabolic diseases and fat digestion (x). Studies show that sometimes, the body needs more of the supplement, so capsules are the natural solution (x).
The heart and muscles have a high concentration of taurine while the amino acid flows throughout the body. Findings show that cells lacking taurine have the potential of generating diseases. Such findings have created interest in the medical field to use the supplement as a therapeutic agent.
Helps Maintain a Healthy Heart
The amino acid is effective in combating congestive heart failure because it protects the system by regulating cell signaling. Based on studies of taurine’s effectiveness, it led to the approved treatment of cardiovascular disease in Japan. Taking the amino acid helps decrease the need for dispensing other heart failure medication. As a result, taurine shows promise in treating other conditions (x).
Research also shows that the amino acid decreases hypertension, atherosclerosis and irregular heartbeats, known as myocardial arrhythmias.
Study with patients 18 to 75 with varying blood pressure took taurine (1.6 grams a day) for 12 weeks. Those with high blood pressure noticed an improvement in their blood pressure, while those with low blood pressure remained the same. The study also showed high plasma taurine levels reduced hypertension (x).
Atherosclerosis is the primary cause of strokes. Atherosclerosis disease pattern develops abnormalities on the artery walls called lesions. The lesions could lead to the narrowing of the arteries because of plaque buildup (x). Treatment with taurine in lab animals shows diminished activity and reduced triglycerides and bad cholesterol. Triglycerides and bad cholesterol are prime causes of atherosclerosis (x).
Taking taurine and magnesium helps reduce ischemic heart disease in patients by lowering the oxidative stress in the body. Ischemic heart disease reduces blood flow to the heart muscle because of plaque buildup (x). The amino acid also helps improve the space for blood and tissues to interact (endothelium) (x).
Support for Metabolic Diseases
Taurine offers additional support for metabolic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, obesity and arthritis, because it lowers oxidative stress in the body (x). Diabetes mellitus is a disease where the body has elevated blood glucose. Animal studies show that taurine enters the body. It undergoes a reduction of diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome—also, the severity of the diabetic complications diminishes (x).
Obesity causes insulin resistance and inflammatory responses. Taurine helps decrease body weight in obese animals by suppressing inflammatory responses (x).
Symptoms of arthritis include stiffness and inflammation pain in the joints. Taurine helps relieve arthritis by terminating acute inflammation (x).
Boost the Central Nervous System Function
Taurine helps move neurons along the nerve channels, supporting the development of the central nervous system. It helps stabilize the cell membranes in the brain, regulating the electrochemical forces that control the system (x).
The amino acid protects the cells because of its antioxidant properties, reducing oxidative stress and damage. An abundance of evidence supports the use of taurine in treating stroke in animals. A few studies address the amino acid treating the risk of stroke in humans. It helps prevent strokes because it reduces plaque buildup in the arteries and positively influences the whole system (x).
Oxidative stress is the main cause of neurodegenerative diseases. Taurine reduces oxidative stress, thus helping combat these diseases. Studies report that the amino acid most likely crosses the blood-barrier to the brain, thus acting as a neuroprotective agent.
Based on animal studies, taurine therapy may reduce the severity of Parkinson’s disease. An analysis of 47 patients with Parkinson’s disease showed efficacy in reducing excessive sleepiness upon treatment with the amino acid (x).
Researchers also support the taurine in treating other neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s (x).
Boost Exercise Performance and Recovery
Based on several studies, achieving better workouts or athletic performance and recovery may occur with taurine. High concentrations of the amino acid are in the muscle tissues, which means taurine helps the movement and sustainability of the body.
Taurine can enhance exercise capacity, increasing the time to exhaustion and boosting endurance in untrained and trained individuals. Studies show that the amino acid improves muscle contractility and reduces muscle damage when exercising.
Reducing muscle damage from exercising helps your body recover faster and experience less soreness. Since the amino acid has antioxidant properties, it can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation caused by exercise. A study on 36 males showed less lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), an enzyme released in the bloodstream. It’s a positive sign that the body isn’t overstressed (x).
Taurine capsules taken orally help increase the muscles’ ability to burn fat while exercising, which can help regulate glycogen stores. That way, the compound helps improve the endurance of the athletic performance or training session (x).
The amino acid also helps support the hydration and electrolytes in your body while working out or performing in competitive sports. Thus, the compound helps reduce the chances of heat-related illness or dehydration (x).
Because the amino acid helps with cognitive functioning, it can enhance athletic reaction time and instant decision-making on the field or court.
Help Ease Anxiety and Stress
Though no direct evidence shows that taurine helps people sleep, it is associated with assisting people in relaxing and reducing anxiety. Relaxing and feeling less stressed enables you to sleep and stay asleep (x).
Also, the amino acid has a calming influence on the central nervous system by boosting the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production. GABA helps relax the body so it can sleep (x).
Supports Vision Health
The retina has high concentrations of taurine. The retina transmits visuals to the brain and sensing light. It’s the antioxidant properties in the amino acid help protect the cells in the retina, preventing damage from harmful elements known as free radicals caused by oxidative stress (x).
Research has found that taurine is beneficial in treating age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD leads to a loss of vision in older adults. A study showed that taurine and other nutrients enhanced visual capabilities in patients with early signs of AMD (x).
Talk with your healthcare provider if you believe you are deficient in taurine. A well-balanced diet with plenty of vitamin B6, cysteine and methionine with protein-rich foods can prevent a deficiency in taurine.
Where to Buy Taurine Capsules?
You can purchase Taurine Capsules at BulkSupplements.com. The company is an industry-leading manufacturer and distributor of pure dietary supplements.
BulkSupplements.com is not just a consumer brand. It also supplies pure ingredients to other brands that distribute food and other supplement products. All products at BulkSupplements.com are manufactured and tested according to current and proper manufacturing practices.
Are you interested in trying taurine as a dietary capsule supplement for its potential to support your muscles, cardiovascular health, eye health, stress and anxiety and metabolic health? Contact BulkSupplements.com to place an order today.
Potential Taurine Capsules Side Effects
The body naturally stores taurine, and the amino acid is in many foods and dietary supplements. The compound is safe to consume, but of side effects may happen (x):
- Taurine may trigger gastrointestinal discomforts, such as diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
- Taurine may drop blood pressure when taken with other medications or supplements. Discuss this with your healthcare provider.
- The amino acid might cause allergic reactions, such as difficulty breathing, hives and itching.
- Taurine may trigger headaches or migraines.
- The compound may produce insomnia or difficulty sleeping.
The Bottom Line
Taurine is an organic compound derived from two amino acids: cysteine and methionine.
Cysteine contributes to the development of your body’s proteins. Methionine helps fight infections in the urinary tract.
Taurine is a conditionally essential amino acid because your body produces it to respond to illness or stress. The body conserves the amino acid to keep healthy when it is ill or stressed because your body stops producing taurine when it gets sick.
Studies show that taurine helps prevent diseases. Some athletes take amino acid capsules to enhance sports performance, support cardiovascular health and promote cognitive function.
High taurine concentrations are in body tissues, such as the heart, brain and muscles. Studies show it’s in animal and human cells in the large intestines and bile, where digestion happens. Skeletal muscles, cardiac muscles and white blood cells have the highest amino acid concentrations. The central nervous system has some traces of the amino acid.
To maintain a healthy system, vegetarian and vegan diets need to supplement with taurine.
People who are vegan have a high chance of being deficient in taurine. To get enough taurine, vegans can eat foods high in methionine, cysteine and vitamins B6.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Check out our previous article & support articles:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5933890/
