Taurine

L-Taurine · 2-Aminoethanesulfonic acid

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Blood pressure¹ Fasting glucose² Triglycerides³ Glycemic control in obesity⁴ Exercise performance^{5, 6} Muscle cramps in liver disease⁷ Heart failure functional class¹	Energy drinks with alcohol⁸ Pregnancy or nursing⁹ Under age 18⁹

Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) is a sulfur-containing amino acid found in meat, seafood, and dairy and made in the body from cysteine⁸. It supports calcium handling and antioxidant defense in heart, muscle, and nerve tissue⁸. Supplementation is used for cardiometabolic risk, exercise performance, and muscle cramps in chronic liver disease. Adults with overweight or obesity are the typical metabolic patient.

A meta-analysis of randomized trials found lower blood pressure, fasting glucose, and triglycerides². A meta-analysis found no overall effect on cognition¹⁰. A 2025 case report of one hemodialysis patient with mitochondrial disease described improved headache, cardiac function, and activity after taurine was started¹¹. Products listing taurine number in the thousands, mostly powders, capsules, and tablets; see Form comparison.

The most consequential caution is combination use: Memorial Sloan Kettering case reports link severe events to large energy drink intake with caffeine or alcohol⁸. Per US product labels, patients taking antihypertensive medication are told to consult a physician first, since taurine may add to blood pressure lowering⁹.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

77 sources, 58 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources