Waldron M, et al. - The effects of isolated oral taurine ingestion on endurance exercise performance in humans were investigated in a meta-analysis. The contribution of the dose and the supplementation period to the ergogenic effect were also assessed. Findings suggested that oral ingestion of a single dose of taurine in varying amounts (1–6 g) can improve human endurance performance. The dose of taurine did not moderate its effect on endurance performance.

Methods

• Researchers searched various databases in September 2017.
• They screened the studies using search criteria for eligibility.
• For inclusion, 10 peer-reviewed articles were identified.
• They also performed a sub-analysis of time-to-exhaustion (TTE) trials (n = 7).
• Using meta-regression, they assessed the effects of dose and the acute (single dose) or chronic (> 1 day) supplementation periods.
• In this study, 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

• Overall endurance performance improved with taurine ingestion (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).
• No differences between acute or chronic supplementation were evident for the full sample (P=0.897) or the TTE group (P=0.896).
• The dose of taurine was observed not moderating its effect on endurance performance (P > 0.05).