- Taurine is an amino-acid-like compound found in meat, fish, and dairy, and made by the body. It's also a common energy-drink ingredient.
- A 2023 Science paper reported that taurine supplementation extended lifespan and healthspan in mice and worms and improved healthspan in monkeys, and that blood taurine fell with age in people.
- In 2025, a Science study across three human cohorts, monkeys, and mice found circulating taurine increased or stayed unchanged with age, and an Aging Cell study of 137 men aged 20–93 found no association with age.
- We could not find robust human trials showing taurine supplements improve memory or cognition in older adults. The brain case is currently extrapolated from animal work.
- Taurine has a long track record in foods and drinks, but supplement doses and long-term use in older adults haven't been tested for brain outcomes. Check with a clinician if you have kidney disease or take multiple medications.
What taurine is
Taurine is a sulfur-containing compound often grouped with amino acids, though it isn't used to build proteins. It's abundant in the brain, heart, muscles, and eyes, and is involved in processes such as fluid balance and bile acid formation. Your body makes some, and you get more from animal foods — meat, seafood, and dairy. Vegans typically get little from diet.
It's also the ingredient many people know from energy drinks, which has given it an undeserved reputation as a stimulant. Taurine itself isn't a stimulant; energy drinks pair it with caffeine and sugar.
The 2023 study that started the buzz
In June 2023, Singh and colleagues published "Taurine deficiency as a driver of aging" in Science. The paper reported that:[1]
- Taurine supplementation increased healthspan and lifespan in mice and in worms.
- It improved healthspan measures in middle-aged monkeys.
- In humans, circulating taurine declined with age, lower levels correlated with several age-related diseases, and levels rose after acute endurance exercise.
The authors concluded that taurine deficiency may drive aging and that human clinical trials were warranted. That last point is important: the paper was a strong argument to test taurine in people, not evidence that taurine slows human aging.
Media coverage, predictably, skipped to "taurine slows aging." Supplement sales followed.
The 2025 pushback from human data
A key pillar of the 2023 story was that taurine levels fall as people age, implying a deficiency worth correcting. Two 2025 studies challenged that.
| Study | Who was studied | What it found |
|---|---|---|
| Singh et al., Science 2023 | Mice, worms, monkeys; human observational data | Supplementation extended lifespan/healthspan in animals; human blood taurine declined with age |
| Fernandez et al., Science 2025 | Three human cohorts, nonhuman primates, and mice — longitudinal and cross-sectional | Circulating taurine increased or stayed unchanged with age; changes are "not a universal feature of aging" |
| Marcangeli et al., Aging Cell 2025 | 137 men aged 20–93, active and inactive | No association between circulating taurine and age; does not support taurine deficiency as a primary driver of human aging |
The 2025 Science paper concluded that taurine's behavior with age appears context-dependent and argued against using it as a universal aging biomarker.[2] The Aging Cell study, limited to men, reached a similar conclusion.[3]
Neither of these studies proves taurine supplements are useless. They undercut the specific idea that most older adults are taurine-deficient and need to top up. That's how science is supposed to work — a bold animal finding, then human data that refine or challenge it.
ANIMAL DATA: Taurine extends lifespan and healthspan in mice and worms (Singh 2023). CONTESTED: Taurine declines with age in humans — 2025 human cohorts found no consistent decline.What about cognition specifically?
Taurine is abundant in the brain, and animal and lab studies have explored it for memory and neuroprotection. But when we looked for well-designed human trials showing that taurine supplements improve memory or slow cognitive decline in older adults, we didn't find a body of evidence that supports that claim.
So the brain-aging case for taurine currently rests on:
- Animal and lab mechanisms, and
- A lifespan story whose central human premise (age-related decline) is now contested.
That's thinner than the evidence behind DHA, citicoline, or even acetyl-L-carnitine — and those have their own limitations.
INSUFFICIENT: Taurine supplements for memory or cognitive aging in humans.The exercise clue
One detail from the 2023 paper deserves more attention than it got: circulating taurine rose after acute endurance exercise.[1] Exercise is also one of the best-supported lifestyle factors for brain health. If you're drawn to taurine for longevity, regular movement delivers many of the same hoped-for benefits with a far stronger human evidence base. Our guide to walking pads vs exercise bikes is about making that habit stick.
Safety and practical notes
Taurine has a long history in foods, infant formula, and beverages and is generally well tolerated at common supplement amounts. Still:
- Long-term high-dose use in older adults for brain outcomes hasn't been studied in large trials.
- Kidney disease — taurine is cleared by the kidneys; anyone with reduced kidney function should check with their clinician before supplementing.
- Medications — if you take several prescriptions, run any new supplement past your pharmacist.
- Energy drinks are not a taurine strategy — the caffeine and sugar can undermine sleep and cardiometabolic health, which matter far more for the aging brain.
- Quality — a USP or NSF seal means an independent lab verified label contents and screened contaminants; it doesn't speak to effectiveness. Confirm the seal applies to the specific product.
The bottom line
Taurine is a legitimate research lead with a very public reversal in progress. For brain aging specifically, there's not enough human evidence to recommend it. If you want to experiment, keep doses modest, involve your clinician if you have kidney issues or take medications, and treat it as a longevity bet rather than a memory supplement. Our NR vs NMN review covers a similar "promising animals, uncertain humans" story.
What to actually buy
We don't consider taurine an evidence-based brain supplement yet. If you choose to try it, these links let you compare plain taurine products; check for third-party testing on the specific listing.
Taurine powder or capsules (single ingredient)
Choose plain taurine rather than energy-drink-style blends with caffeine. Discuss with your clinician if you have kidney disease.
Nootropics Depot Citicoline (Cognizin)
If cognition is your goal, citicoline has more human trial data — it's the product featured in our citicoline coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Does taurine slow aging?
In mice and worms, a 2023 study found taurine extended lifespan, and it improved healthspan measures in monkeys. Whether it slows aging in humans hasn't been shown, and 2025 human studies challenged the idea that taurine declines with age.
Does taurine improve memory?
We did not find robust human trials showing taurine supplements improve memory or cognitive aging. Current interest is based mainly on animal research.
Do taurine levels drop as you age?
The 2023 study reported lower levels in older people, but a 2025 Science study of three human cohorts found levels increased or stayed unchanged, and a 2025 study of 137 men found no association with age.
Is taurine safe?
Taurine is generally well tolerated at common supplement amounts, but long-term high-dose use for brain health hasn't been studied in large trials. People with kidney disease should check with a clinician first.
Are energy drinks a good source of taurine?
No. Energy drinks pair taurine with caffeine and often sugar, which can disrupt sleep and cardiometabolic health.
Citations
- Singh P, et al. Taurine deficiency as a driver of aging. Science. 2023;380(6649). PMID 37289866. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn9257
- Fernandez ME, et al. Is taurine an aging biomarker? Science. 2025. PMID 40472098. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40472098/
- Marcangeli V, et al. Experimental evidence against taurine deficiency as a driver of aging in humans. Aging Cell. 2025. PMID 41061678. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41061678/