What Is Taurine in Energy Drinks? Does It Benefit Cognitive or Athletic Performance?

We have at least some pathways to make taurine in our body from scratch, but does taking more offer a benefit? So until recently, good for pre-term infants with no access to breast milk and pretty much useless for everyone else, because our body can just presumably make as much as it needs. The reason we can get it in meat is because other animals make it too, but we’re animals, we make it, what’s the problem? The problem may be that we can make enough when we’re younger, but maybe we’re not making enough for optimal health as we age. When I first heard about it, it reminded me of the spermidine story, another compound we make, but we make less as we age, and there are benefits shown to supplementing with dietary sources to restore youthful levels. So that’s why in How Not to Age (https://nutritionfacts.org/book/how-n..., I started recommended people include foods like wheat germ in their diet. Is taurine a similar story? Before we discuss the potential consequences of the study, let’s first delve into exactly what it found. This is the first video in a seven-part series on taurine. Stay tuned for: • Taurine Supplementation Increases Lifespan and Healthspan in Animals (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/-tau...) • Randomized Controlled Trials of Taurine Supplementation in Humans (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/rand...) • Caveats and Side Effects of Taurine Supplements (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/cave...) • The Best Daily Dose of Taurine (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-...) • Where to Find Taurine and the Best Source (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/wher...) • Like Beet Juice, Taurine Supplementation May Only Be Safe in the Context of a Plant-Based Diet (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/like...) For more on the spermidine story, go to your local public library and check out my book, How Not to Age (https://nutritionfacts.org/book/how-n..., available in print, e-book, and audio. (All proceeds I receive from the book are donated directly to charity.) New subscribers to our e-newsletter always receive a free gift. Get yours here: https://nutritionfacts.org/subscribe/. Have a question about this video? Leave it in the comment section at http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-... and someone on the NutritionFacts.org team will try to answer it. Want to get a list of links to all the scientific sources used in this video? Click on Sources Cited at https://nutritionfacts.org/video/what.... You’ll also find a transcript and acknowledgements for the video, my blog and speaking tour schedule, and an easy way to search (by translated language even) through our videos spanning more than 2,000 health topics. Thanks for watching. I hope you’ll join in the evidence-based nutrition revolution! -Michael Greger, MD FACLM Captions for this video are available in several languages; you can find yours in the video settings. View important information about our translated resources: https://nutritionfacts.org/translatio... https://NutritionFacts.org • Subscribe: https://nutritionfacts.org/subscribe • Donate: https://nutritionfacts.org/donate • Podcast : https://nutritionfacts.org/audio • Books: https://nutritionfacts.org/books • Shop: https://drgreger.org • Facebook:   / nutritionfacts.org   • Twitter:   / nutrition_facts   • Instagram:   / nutrition_facts_org