Taurine is a naturally occurring sulfur-containing amino acid. It is found in various foods and is often added to energy drinks and supplements. It is studied for heart, metabolic, exercise and aging-related effects (Santulli 2023).
Taurine has no Recommended Dietary Allowance or official upper limit. A 2008 risk assessment (Shao and Hathcock) found strong evidence of no adverse effects at supplemental intakes up to 3 g a day and named that the observed safe level for healthy adults; higher amounts have been tested but the data were not enough for a confident long-term safety conclusion.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling. There is no FDA-approved taurine drug.
A 2024 meta-analysis of 9 randomized trials in adults with overweight or obesity (Sun) reported lower triglycerides and total cholesterol with long-term taurine, and improvements in HbA1c and insulin resistance only in participants with obesity. In muscle, a review (Spriet 2015) notes that taurine pills raise muscle taurine in rodents but not in people, because human muscle resists taking up more. A 2023 study in Science (Singh) found blood taurine falls with age in mice, monkeys and humans and that supplementation extended healthy life in mice and monkeys; the authors say human trials are needed to test this in people.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for taurine that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one.
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