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Taurine
Moderate evidenceEndurance
Dose
1-6 g
Timing
1-2 h pre
Effect
Small but real
Best for
Endurance
Does it work?
- -A little. Taurine gives a small, real bump to endurance — meta-analyses put it at a modest effect (Hedges' g ≈ 0.25–0.40), roughly on par with a slightly better time-to-exhaustion. It's safe and cheap, but it's a minor edge, not a game-changer. Worth a try for endurance work; not worth high hopes.
How much · when
- -Take 1-6 g as a single dose. There's no clear dose-response in that range, so ~2-3 g is a sensible, cheap starting point.
- -Time it 1-2 hours before endurance work — pre-exercise timing looks most favorable in the data.
- -Daily loading isn't needed: a single acute dose works about as well as weeks of supplementation. Take it on session days.
- -Pure taurine powder is far cheaper than energy drinks, where the taurine dose is usually too low to matter anyway.
The catch
- -The effect is small and inconsistent — it shows up for aerobic endurance and time-to-exhaustion, but evidence for anaerobic and muscular-endurance tasks is shaky.
- -Trial quality is mixed and effects shrink in better-blinded studies, so the true benefit may be smaller than the headline numbers.
- -It won't outperform getting your training, sleep, and carbs right — taurine is a marginal add-on, not a foundation.
Safety
- -Very well tolerated; doses up to ~3 g/day are considered safe with no notable side effects in healthy adults.
- -Skip the energy-drink route if you're sensitive to caffeine — those products bundle taurine with stimulants, not the other way around.
Key research
- International society of sports nutrition position stand: energy drinks and energy shotsJ Int Soc Sports Nutr · 2023 · Position stand
- The Effects of an Oral Taurine Dose and Supplementation Period on Endurance Exercise Performance in Humans: A Meta-AnalysisSports Medicine · 2018 · Meta-analysis
- Does One Shot Work? The Acute Impact of a Single Taurine Dose on Exercise Performance: A Meta-Analytic ReviewScand J Med Sci Sports · 2025 · Meta-analysis
- The effect of taurine supplementation on markers of muscle damage and muscle pain in an athletic population: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials assessed using the GRADE approachHeliyon · 2025 · Meta-analysis
- The Dose Response of Taurine on Aerobic and Strength Exercises: A Systematic ReviewFrontiers in Physiology · 2021 · Systematic review
Related
Supplements
Educational information, not medical advice. Talk to a healthcare professional before starting a supplement — especially if you're pregnant, nursing, or managing a health condition.
Reviewed Jun 2026
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