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A new study challenges the idea that taurine — an amino acid often promoted as an anti-ageing supplement — plays a key role in the ageing process. While earlier research in animals suggested that taurine supplementation could extend lifespan and that taurine levels declined with age in humans, new data paints a more complex picture. The study, led by Maria Emilia Fernandez at the National Institute on Aging in Maryland and published in Nature Aging, shows that taurine levels often increase, rather than decrease, with age.
Fernandez and her team analysed blood samples from 742 healthy adults aged 26 to 100, collected over a 12-year period. They found that taurine levels rose by about 27% in women and 6% in men over the decades. A similar pattern was observed in a group of 32 monkeys, where taurine increased significantly with age. This suggests that taurine doesn’t consistently decline with age and that previously observed drops may be due to other factors like stress, illness, or diet.
Moreover, taurine levels varied significantly between individuals and even within the same person over time, further undermining its reliability as a marker of ageing. While taurine may still offer health benefits — such as improving blood sugar regulation in people with type 2 diabetes or obesity — its role in healthy ageing remains uncertain.
Nonetheless, interest in taurine’s potential continues. Vijay Yadav at Rutgers University is currently leading a clinical trial to determine whether taurine supplementation can slow ageing in middle-aged adults. Results are expected by the end of 2025, which may offer clearer answers on whether taurine is a useful anti-ageing tool or not.
