Everything in moderation, as common sense advice goes. It’s especially true when it comes to food. But people want to live forever and are buying promises of energy drinks with amino acids such as taurine, with the aim of living forever, or at least a decade longer is now in fashion.
Related: energy drinks and why to avoid them
The amino acid taurine is one of the basic building blocks of the proteins in our bodies and plays multiple other roles in biology. Previous research has suggested that low levels of taurine may signal—or even drive—aging, but a new longitudinal study by Rafael de Cabo and his team at the US National Institute on Aging (NIA) says the answer is more complicated in a new paper, published in Science.
“We clearly show that there’s no need for taurine supplementation as long as you have a healthy diet,” says Rafael de Cabo, a gerontologist at the NIA.
And one study a few months ago suggests that taking taurine-supplemented drinks or vitamins could cause harm if you have leukemia.
Related: why Muslims don’t drink alcohol
A new study out of the University of Rochester’s Wilmot Cancer Institute has raised serious concerns about taurine—a popular amino acid commonly added to energy drinks—potentially accelerating certain blood and bone marrow cancers rather than promoting longevity.
Researchers led by Dr. Jeevisha Bajaj found that while healthy bone marrow cells naturally produce taurine, leukemia cells can’t make it themselves. Instead, they import taurine using genes like SLC6A6, dubbed the taurine transporter.
In both human leukemia cell cultures and mouse models, this imported taurine enhanced glycolysis—the breaking down of glucose for energy—and in turn helped cancer cells thrive.
For people with leukemia: Taurine intake—via supplements, energy drinks, or intravenous use—may not be benign. The researchers suggest that limiting taurine exposure could slow disease progression, and propose future studies to monitor taurine levels in leukemia patients.
For the general public: While current evidence does not indicate taurine causes leukemia in healthy individuals, experts caution that mice models may not fully predict human risk.
Examples of Energy Drinks with Taurine:
- Red Bull: Contains around 1,038 mg per 8.3 oz can.
- Rockstar: 2,000 mg per 16 oz can.
- Monster: 2,000 mg per 16 oz can.
- Celsius: Around 1,810 mg per 12 oz can (part of a proprietary blend).
- Alani Nu: 2,000 mg per 12 oz can.
- Bang, Accelerator, Tab Energy, Go Girl Sugar-Free, Ghost Energy: Also contain taurine.
