Taurine can benefit anxiety and stress, and its neuroprotective capabilities can help with age-related mental decline. Learn how you can best use taurine. Taurine offers numerous mental health benefits, impacting cognitive function and emotional well-being in various ways.
You may be familiar with taurine as a supplement used by athletes to enhance physical performance, or as an ingredient in energy drinks.
But taurine is much more than that.
In fact, it may be one of the most valuable nutrients for your mental wellness and overall health.
What Is Taurine?
The amino acid taurine is one of the most abundant compounds in the brain, central nervous system, retina, heart, gallbladder, kidneys, pancreas, and muscles.
It plays an important role in many aspects of the health and function of these organs.
It aids the movement of potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium in and out of cells.
Taurine almost qualifies as a neurotransmitter, chemicals used by brain cells to communicate with each other.
Except for one, no taurine-specific receptors have ever been identified, meeting all criteria of a neurotransmitter.
It’s considered a non-essential or conditional amino acid since the liver and brain can synthesize some taurine, but not enough to meet all our needs.
The remainder of our taurine requirements must come from our diet.
Where Does Taurine Come From?
Taurine was first discovered in the bile of bulls.
The term “taurine” originates from “taurus,” the Latin word for ox or bull.
The best sources of taurine are seafoods — shrimp, clams, fish, and scallops.
The next best source is dark poultry meat.
There’s also some taurine in meat and a little in dairy.
It’s present in human breast milk and included in infant formula for crucial newborn brain and eye development.
The only significant plant source of taurine is nori, the sea vegetable used to wrap sushi.
“ A diet high in taurine (from seafood and nori) is believed to be one of the reasons for the extreme longevity found in pockets of people in Japan.
Besides consuming taurine directly from food, the body can synthesize it from the amino acid cysteine.
The top food sources of cysteine include meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, oatmeal, lentils, and sunflower seeds.
Does Taurine Come From Bull Urine?
Currently, the most popular energy drink is Red Bull which contains taurine.
Someone made the connection between bull and taurine and started a rumor that Red Bull’s taurine came from bulls.
But rest assured, there is no bull urine or bull sperm in any energy drinks!
These companies use chemically synthesized taurine in their products.
It is not financially feasible for them to extract taurine from any natural sources, including bull urine.
Red Bull clearly states on their website:
“The taurine in Red Bull is not derived from animals. It is produced synthetically by pharmaceutical companies, which guarantees high quality standards.”
Causes of Taurine Deficiency
In spite of taurine being abundant in the body, not everyone has enough of it for optimal health.
Due to its prevalence in animal products, vegetarians and particularly vegans face a higher risk of taurine deficiency.
Older people are also at risk since taurine levels drop with age.
Many health conditions, including anxiety, depression, epilepsy, and congestive heart failure, are linked to taurine deficiency.
Low levels of taurine have been reported in Parkinson’s patients.
Both type 1 and type 2 diabetics have subpar levels of taurine and can benefit from supplementation.
Chemotherapy drugs used to treat cancer deplete taurine.
Anyone with chronic heart, liver, or kidney disease is at risk for taurine deficiency.
If you are concerned that you may have a taurine deficiency, you can try supplementation first since taurine is safe to take.
Alternatively, you can discuss with your doctor about checking your taurine levels through a blood test.
Overview of Taurine Benefits
Taurine is essential for a healthy heart, brain, bones, vision, hearing, and more.
Experts believe it boosts physical stamina and enhances athletic performance.
It’s also critical for mental health and well-being.
Taurine can help with anxiety, panic attacks, and insomnia.
There is a significant correlation between high levels of dietary taurine and longevity.
Researchers attribute the extreme longevity found in pockets of people in Japan to a diet high in taurine, sourced from seafood and nori.
However, the two most common reasons people supplement with taurine are to enhance physical performance and to calm anxiety.
Endurance athletes and bodybuilders commonly take taurine supplements to alleviate cramps, muscle soreness, and fatigue.
But limited research has been done and so far the evidence of taurine’s efficacy for these conditions is mixed.
How Taurine Calms Anxiety
While the evidence on taurine as a performance booster is inconclusive, the evidence on taurine for anxiety is sound.
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the brain’s key calming neurotransmitter, is essential for feeling happy and relaxed.
Low GABA levels can be brought on by stress, physical exertion, illness, injury, blood sugar imbalance, or gluten intolerance.
People low in GABA often self-medicate with food, alcohol, or tranquilizing drugs to relax.
But a much healthier and effective way to increase GABA is with taurine supplementation.
Taurine acts much like GABA in the brain.
It has a similar structure to GABA and binds to GABA receptors.
Researchers have found taurine to be “extraordinarily active” on these brain receptors.
Additionally, taurine stimulates the release and formation of GABA.
If you tend to be anxious or have trouble concentrating or sleeping, taurine can calm and focus your anxious, distractible mind.
Why Taurine Supplements Work Better for Anxiety Than GABA
It would seem logical to supplement with GABA rather than taurine.
However, GABA supplements don’t work for everyone for a good reason.
The current scientific consensus is that GABA molecules are too large to cross the blood-brain barrier to enter the brain.
The fact that they seem to work for some people is a mystery waiting to be solved.
It’s suspected that unknown mechanisms are at work or that certain areas of the brain allow GABA access.
Another theory is that GABA can enter the brain only if the blood-brain barrier has been compromised and is “leaky.”
If this makes you leery about trying GABA or you’ve tried it without success, taurine supplements are a good alternative.
Additional Brain Benefits of Taurine
Addressing a GABA imbalance isn’t the only way taurine benefits your brain and mental health.
Taurine exhibits impressive neuroprotective capabilities and can help protect against age-related mental decline.
One of the ways it does this is by increasing the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
This protein acts like fertilizer in the brain, stimulating the growth of new brain cells.
Taurine especially promotes the formation of new brain cells in the hippocampus, the part of the brain considered its memory center.
It has also been shown to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidepressant properties.
Taurine has a role in a number of nervous system functions and shows promise as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s.
Levels of taurine are naturally low in Parkinson’s patients.
And, unfortunately, the drug used to treat it, levodopa, depletes taurine further, making this amino acid a “must-have” supplement for those with this disease.
Other mental health and neurological conditions that taurine can be helpful for include:
- attention disorders
- autism
- bipolar disorder
- depression
- epilepsy
- hypertension
- neuropathy
- neurotoxicity
- sleep disorders
- stroke
- substance abuse
Notable Taurine Health Benefits
Taurine is present throughout the body and helps almost every major organ system.
Eyes and Ears
Taurine is essential for healthy vision.
The retina has a higher concentration of taurine than any other part of the body.
Taurine also plays a vital role in hearing.
Taurine supplementation can sometimes reverse hearing loss.
Tinnitus is an annoying condition that causes ringing in the ears.
It’s not fully understood whether tinnitus is ear-related or brain-related, but, at least for some, taurine can provide substantial relief.
Heart Disease
Taurine is the most important and abundant amino acid in the heart.
It improves blood flow and oxygen supply to heart cells.
It increases the effectiveness of heart muscle contractions and normalizes rhythm irregularities.
Patients with congestive heart failure can improve their exercise capacity with taurine supplementation.
Diabetes
It’s well-established that diabetics have subpar levels of taurine.
Taurine supplementation can decrease insulin resistance and help offset significant side effects of diabetes such as retinopathy, neuropathy, and kidney damage.
Taurine for MSG Reactions
One of the most unusual uses for taurine supplements is for neutralizing reactions to the food additive MSG (monosodium glutamate).
According to the US National Library of Medicine, reported reactions from MSG consumption include headache, flushing, numbness or burning in the mouth or throat, muscle aches, heart palpitations, and drowsiness.
Additionally, lab animals fed MSG exhibit brain lesions, obesity, stunted skeletal development, sterility, and liver damage.
MSG is commonly found in processed foods of all kinds, particularly salty foods such as canned soups, salty snacks, ramen noodles, and veggie burgers, so inadvertent MSG consumption is not unusual.
In fact, it’s hard to avoid MSG since it is added to many foods and is not required to be explicitly labeled if it occurs in a compound such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, yeast extract, soy extract, or protein isolate.
And, of course, if you want to avoid MSG, eating at restaurants is always a gamble.
However, there’s a growing body of evidence that taking supplemental taurine after accidental ingestion of MSG can reduce MSG-induced symptoms.
According to Review: Taurine: A “very essential” amino acid, a study published on the US National Institutes of Health database, here are the facts that connect the dots between MSG and taurine:
- Monosodium glutamate is a known neurotoxin that can affect cells in the central nervous system.
- Too much glutamate can cause inadequate oxygen (hypoxia) and blood supply (ischemia) to the brain.
- Taurine is cytoprotective — it protects cells from damage by harmful substances.
- Taurine is one of the most effective agents for protection against toxic levels of glutamate.
Taurine in Energy Drinks: A Lot of Bull
No article on the benefits of taurine would be complete without taking a look at the taurine found in energy drinks.
Taurine is one the top ingredients added to energy drinks, along with caffeine and various B vitamins.
You may have read the label on a drink can and wondered why taurine is in your energy drink.
The answer may surprise you.
Energy Drink Misconceptions
The International Society of Sports Nutrition concluded that any performance-enhancing effects of energy drinks come from carbohydrates and/or caffeine, NOT from other nutrients (like taurine) purported to enhance mental function or physical performance.
Neil L. Harrison, PhD, professor of pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medical College, has led research on taurine and GABA receptors in the brain.
Dr. Harrison questions the addition of taurine to energy drinks, stating:
“Its inclusion in these supplements is a little puzzling, because our research would suggest that instead of being a pick-me-up, the taurine actually would have more of a sedative effect on the brain.”
He specifically recommends avoiding energy drinks with taurine since its effect may negate the boost from caffeine — the main reason people drink this stuff!
He believes that taurine may actually play a role in the “crash” often experienced from energy drinks.
So, ironically, if you want to experience the boost in focus, productivity, and energy from caffeine, look for an energy drink that does not contain taurine, or drink naturally caffeinated drinks like coffee or tea.
Other research has found that the amount of taurine in energy drinks is so low that it probably won’t cause any negative effects, but it certainly won’t provide any of the desired benefits either.
So while the taurine added to energy drinks has been deemed “safe but ineffective,” that doesn’t make energy drinks themselves safe.
They’re responsible for tens of thousands of visits to the emergency room each year, and sadly, a handful of deaths.
There are much safe and more effective ways to increase taurine, such as eating taurine-rich foods or taking a taurine supplement.
Taurine Supplement Dosage
There is no Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for taurine, but a typical dose is between 500 – 2,000 mg per day.
The long-term upper limit is thought to be 3,000 mg per day, but much higher doses are usually well tolerated.
If you take more than you need, the excess taurine is simply excreted by your kidneys.
Study participants have safely used up to 6 grams per day for weeks at a time for various medical conditions.
Taurine Side Effects
Taurine supplements are considered very safe.
However, they are not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women since not enough is known about their safety during these times.
Discuss taking taurine with your doctor if you have bipolar disorder.
Taurine is helpful for many, but there’s some concern it could make mania symptoms worse.
Additionally, it does not mix well with lithium.
Taurine affects your body’s ability to process lithium which could result in serious side effects.
Also, avoid taking taurine with beta-alanine, an amino acid supplement taken by athletes for enhanced endurance.
When taken together, too much beta-alanine can lead to taurine deficiency.
Recommended: Upgrading brain health is key to making your brain work better.
Brain supplement can help you:
- Improve your mental clarity and focus.
- Boost your memory and your ability to learn.
- Increase your capacity to think critically, solve problems, and make decisions.
P.S. Like what you’ve read on this page? Get more like this — Sign up for our emails.
Also read our blog on A Beginner’s Guide to Nootropics
