What does Taurine Do For The Body? Know Your Pre Workout Ingredients

When getting into supplements, it is very important to know what you are putting into your body. This post will give you some information on a common ingredient found in pre workout supplements: L-Taurine

So what is L-Taurinie?

• Taurine is an amino acid - amino acids are building blocks of proteins.
• Taurine is found in large amounts in the brain, retina, heart, and blood cells called platelets.
• Taurine is NOT an essential amino acid

What does L-Taurine Do For The Body

Claims

• Increases physical endurance and reaction speed
• Increases concentration and mental alertness (stay awake)
• Improves overall feeling of well being
• Strengthens heart muscle (Congestive Heart Failure)
• Prevents Cataracts
• Reduces Blood Pressure
• Enhances water balance and nutrient uptake in muscle cells ("cell-volumizing")
• Aids hydration before/during exercise (used in sports drinks)

Red Bull (the energy drink) popularized the aminio acid Taurine - and Red Bull does have a handful of clinical studies to back their claims.The Red Bull concoction of taurine, caffeine and glucuronolactone has been shown to increase alertness and maintain reaction time and feelings of well-being (as the placebo group gets sleepy later into the night). These effects appear to be due to more than just the caffeine content (which is about the same as a cup of coffee at 80mg/250ml), but whether or not the effects are due to the taurine, the sugar or something else in the drink is still up for debate.

The other places that we see a lot of taurine use in supplements these days are in combination with creatine in muscle building products.

• Supplement companies use taurine for its effects in regulating water balance to enhance the effects of creatine which can aid the "volumnizing effect".
• The enhanced water content of muscle cells *may* even provide a hydration and performance benefit