Taurine: What It Is & Energy Drinks
Written by Crystal Ruizmun
Every energy drink contains taurine. Taurine is an amino acid that is needed for normal bodily functions like digestive and nervous systems. Our body naturally names taurine but we can get it from other sources of foods and supplements. These foods are usually high-protein foods, and supplements are almost never needed because of the high production of taurine in most of our bodies. A lot of manufacturers add more taurine to a variety of products such as energy drinks, protein, and even infant formula.
The majority, if not every energy drink contains taurine. Alani Nu, for example, has taurine listed as the third ingredient on the nutrition sheet. This is common because taurine is heavily prevalent in the energy drink business and is an essential vitamin, where many companies add 200% of the recommended dose per serving. Alani Nu, serving as another example, has B12 listed at 110% with it containing 2.5 mcg, which is .0025 of a milligram. A lot of this has to do with the fact that Alani Nu energy drinks contain 200mg of caffeine, which the vitamins are used to balance the caffeine. The use of taurine is mostly for mental alertness and improves physical performance. Many energy drinks are consumed by athletes, those who require to stay awake and alert for jobs, gym-goers, and many others. According to News Medical Life Sciences, “taurine and caffeine appear to have opposite effects on the central nervous system (CNS), as caffeine is a stimulant and taurine is an agonist for the inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors…many energy drinks is aimed towards achieving a combined effect to improve overall brain function and mental performance.”
As important as taurine is for our health, it does produce many health complications. For many children, the overconsumption of taurine can cause stunted growth because of the nitrogen imbalance that occurs. There is a lack of research on taurine and how it can negatively affect our health. Some research even shows that in some cases, it can cause cancer but these findings are not backed up by strong evidence, just some minor correlations but there have yet to be more discoveries.
References
Taurine: Sources, Uses, and More (webmd.com)
What is taurine? Benefits and side effects (medicalnewstoday.com)
Taurine Energy Drinks (news-medical.net)
Negative Effects of Taurine | livestrong
Written by Crystal Ruizmun