The effects of oral taurine on resting blood pressure in humans: a meta-analysis

Purpose of Review The aims of this meta-analysis were to investigate the effects of orally-administered isolated taurine on resting systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in humans. Recent Findings There is growing evidence that taurine deficiency is associated with hypertension and that oral supplementation can have antihypertensive effects in humans. However, these investigations have been conducted across a number of decades and populations and have not been collectively reviewed. A search was performed using various databases in May 2018 and later screened using search criteria for eligibility. There were seven peer-reviewed studies meeting the inclusion criteria, encompassing 103 participants of varying age and health statuses. Taurine ingestion reduced SBP (Hedges’ g = -0.70, 95% CI -0.98 to -0.41, P < 0.0001) and DBP (Hedges’ g = -0.62, 95% CI -0.91 to -0.34, P < 0.0001). These results translated to mean ~ 3 mmHg reductions in both SBP (range = 0-15 mmHg) and DBP (range = 0-7 mmHg) following a range of doses (1 to 6 g/day) and supplementation periods (one day to 12 weeks), with no adverse events reported. Summary These preliminary findings suggest that ingestion of taurine at the stated doses and supplementation periods can reduce blood pressure to a clinically-relevant magnitude, without any adverse side-effects. Future studies are needed to establish the effects of oral taurine supplementation on targeted pathologies and the optimal supplementation doses and periods.