The effects of oral taurine dose and supplementation period on endurance exercise performance in humans: a meta-analysis

Background Taurine is central to many physiological processes, some of which are augmented by exogenous supply and have the potential to facilitate endurance performance; however, its independent effects on performance have not been systematically analysed. Objective To evaluate the effects of isolated oral taurine ingestion on endurance performance and to assess the contribution of (1) the dose and (2) the supplementation period to the ergogenic effect. Methods A search was performed using various databases in September 2017. The studies were screened using search criteria for eligibility. Ten peer-reviewed articles were identified for inclusion. A sub-analysis of time-to-exhaustion (TTE) trials (n = 7) was also performed. The effects of (1) dose and (2) the acute (single dose) or chronic (> 1 day) supplementation periods were assessed using meta-regression. The doses of taurine ranged from 1 to 6 g/day and were provided in single doses and for up to 2 weeks among a range of subjects. Results Taurine ingestion improved overall endurance performance (Hedges’ g = 0.40, 95% CI 0.12–0.67, P = 0.004), which was similar in TTE trials (Hedges’ g = 0.43, 95% CI 0.12–0.75, P = 0.007). There were no differences between acute or chronic supplementation for the full sample (P = 0.897) or the TTE group (P = 0.896). The dose of taurine did not moderate its effect on endurance performance (P > 0.05). Conclusion Human endurance performance can be improved by orally ingesting a single dose of taurine in varying amounts (1–6 g).