When it comes to both health and performance, taurine is one of the most underappreciated essential nutrients in the body – you might be familiar with it as an ingredient in energy drinks or a bodybuilding supplement, but how much do you really know about its effects?

Taurine is actually the second most abundant amino acid in the body (the first being glutamine), found in high concentrations in the skeletal muscles and the brain, where it aids the transport of potassium, calcium, sodium and magnesium, which nearly qualifies it as a neurotransmitter.

So far it was generally considered a non-essential amino acid since a significant amount of it is being produced in the liver and brain, but a more precise classification of taurine would be a conditionally essential amino acid because it gets depleted under conditions of heavy physical stress. Since the amount of naturally produced taurine in the body is not enough to achieve the optimal level of this nutrient, people should strive to obtain it through their diet (mostly from meat and seafood) and quality supplementation.

Taurine can significantly improve your overall health, which is why a high-taurine diet is believed to be one of the main reasons for the extreme longevity observed in a part of the Japanese population. This is not very surprising since many researches have proven the great influence of taurine on many mental and physical conditions.

A study in 2012 concluded that taurine is one of the most essential substances in the human body and supplementing with taurine can provide significant health benefits like restoring insulin sensitivity, reversing cardiovascular disease factors and preventing the development of fatty liver disease.

Some leading researches suggest that higher taurine levels correlate with improved mental functioning, including mental performance and mood, while others focus on its positive effect on athletic performance. For example, a study published by Japanese researchers in 2003 found that taking taurine supplements before working out for one week resulted in significant increases in VO2 max (which is the maximum capacity of the body to transport and use oxygen) in adult male subjects.

Less stress and better cognitive performance

Taurine facilitates the production of the neurotransmitter GABA, therefore helping the management of anxiety and stress, preventing cortisol and adrenaline spikes. Research shows that low taurine levels lead to an chronically overexcited nervous system which is linked to high cortisol levels and an increase of body fat – taurine aids the process of metabolizing fat which makes it important for achieving a lean physique. This means that taking taurine can help your lower the level of anxiety and lose weight more successfully at the same time.

Improved strength and endurance

A recent study concluded that men who took around 4.000 milligrams of taurine for two weeks before performing eccentric elbow flexor exercises experienced less fatigue and a greater increase in muscle strength and endurance. Other studies have shown that taurine supplementation improves endurance and performance in both aerobic and anaerobic system sports. One of the main reasons for this is taurine’s ability to support the contractile properties of fast-twitch muscles, therefore helping them to produce peak force.

More precisely, taurine enables a greater release of calcium, which in turn enhances the contractions in the stimulated muscle. Furthermore, a recent study suggested that taurine also influences the reduction in muscle breakdown by decreasing catabolic 3-methylhistidine. The results from the same study also showed a significant decreasement of the post-exercise urinary excretion of creatinine and other biomarkers, proving that taurine reduces muscle fatigue and enhances the recovery process. At the same time, taurine has been proven to raise testosterone production, which is essential for the development of muscle mass.

Enhanced recovery

We simply cannot stress enough the importance of the scientifically proven antioxidant properties of this substance. Taurine is highly effective in eliminating free radicals and keeping the cells healthy and proper taurine supplementation will significantly decrease oxidative stress and fatigue in muscle tissue, reducing the inflammation associated with cellular damage. Consuming somewhere between 1.500 to 3.000 milligrams of taurine per day will help you recover faster after an intense session.

Balanced blood sugar levels and blood pressure

Taurine is the essential supplement for improving insulin sensitivity because of its anorexigenic effect on the hypothalamus gland which improves the metabolism as well as its antioxidant effect. A new study found that mice fed with taurine for a month experienced an increased glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity when given excess dietary sugar. Taurine actually provides many beneficial effects on the glucose metabolism through its antioxidant activities, anti-inflammatory effects, osmoregulatory actions and effects on glucose homeostasis.

Also, taurine supplementation leads to significantly less arterial stiffness and better blood flow and enhances the producement of the friendly nitric oxide (eNOS), which relaxes the circulatory system and balances the blood pressure.

In conclusion

As shown in this article, the health and performance benefits of taurine are very versatile, which makes it a on of the crucial nutrients for your training regime. Along with a proper diet, make sure to get a good quality supplement that will help you reach the recommended daily amount of taurine. It’s rather safe and has no significant side effects.

Be sure that keeping an abundance of taurine in your organism will cause your levels of strength and performance to soar!

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