This Amino Acid Is Promising For Heart Health & Cognition — But You Lose It With Age*

Amino acids tend to get the spotlight only when we talk about muscle—but their benefits don't stop there. The amino acid taurine boasts some impressive antioxidant effects in the body that can help everything from your inflammatory response to your exercise performance to your heart and brain.*

Taurine is actually one of the most abundant amino acids in humans. Whereas most amino acids in the body are incorporated into proteins (like muscle, connective tissues, enzymes, and even hormones), taurine is considered a free amino acid1 and resides on its own within body tissues. 

It's vital for energy production and supports mitochondrial health2 (which is why it's added to some energy drinks), but taurine also helps regulate cells' water balance and calcium and potassium levels.* The body is capable of making taurine from other amino acids, and it's also found in foods like shellfish3—especially mussels, scallops, and clams—as well as the dark meat of chicken and turkey. 

But concentrations of this amino acid decline with age4. Research shows that once we turn 60, our bodies have about one-third of the taurine as when we were 5.

Taurine supplements have been most widely studied in humans from an exercise performance perspective. 

A 2021 review published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition on taurine's role in exercise reviewed data from 19 studies. Analysis showed that daily taurine supplementation of 1 to 3 grams taken one to three hours before an activity can improve aerobic performance (like time to fatigue), strength, power, muscle soreness, and markers of metabolic stress (like lactate levels).* 

Taurine also seems to play a role in cardiovascular health—however, research in this arena is more preliminary.*

Lots of the data on taurine and heart health has been confined to a petri dish under a microscope or to animal models. This type of information is still important because it sheds light on the mechanisms of how taurine may impact the heart. 

And researchers of a 2023 review of taurine's role in heart health5 note that it has been shown to enhance cardiac contractility and improve heart function (in both humans and animals).* This makes sense because taurine accounts for around half of the total free amino acids in the heart. The review also highlights promising data to show that taurine enhances blood vessel health and promotes healthy blood pressure.* 

Taurine is a prominent free amino acid in the nervous system, especially the brain. 

It acts as a neurotransmitter6, helps maintain the integrity of the nervous system and neurons, and regulates calcium transport.* 

The amount of taurine in the brain may also impact mood and feelings of anxiousness7.

Eating animal proteins (like shellfish, meat, and poultry) is one way to help ensure you're getting enough taurine to help your body out. 

But if that's challenging for you (say you follow a primarily vegetarian diet) or you want to take advantage of all of taurine's benefits, then a supplement may be the right call for you. 

And mindbodygreen has the ideal solution: creatine+. This powdered supplement combines 2 grams of taurine, an amino acid that supports brain, nerve, muscle, and vascular function with 5 grams of creatine monohydrate in one scoop.* Creatine is another critical compound for enhancing exercise performance and recovery (that also declines with age).*