Does Taurine Slow Aging? What the 2023 and 2025 Science Studies Really Found

Taurine is an amino acid-like compound found in meat, fish and energy drinks, and it became one of the most talked-about longevity supplements after a 2023 study in Science reported that taurine extended the lives of mice. The short answer: taurine has not been shown to slow aging in people. The 2023 study found that taurine supplements extended median lifespan in mice by 10 to 12% and improved several health measures in middle-aged monkeys. But a 2025 study from the U.S. National Institute on Aging, also in Science, found that blood taurine levels do not reliably fall with age in humans, monkeys or mice, which undercuts the idea that older adults are simply "taurine deficient." Small human trials suggest modest benefits for blood pressure, blood sugar and triglycerides. Taurine looks safe at up to about 3 grams a day, but it is not a proven anti-aging treatment.

The short answer

• In 2023, Singh and colleagues gave middle-aged mice high-dose taurine daily for life. Median lifespan rose 10 to 12%, and life expectancy at 28 months rose 18 to 25% (Singh et al., Science, 2023).
• The same study reported that blood taurine in elderly humans was more than 80% lower than in younger people, and suggested taurine deficiency may be "a driver of aging."
• In 2025, NIA researchers measured taurine in three human cohorts, monkeys and mice, including repeated measurements in the same people over time. Taurine increased or stayed the same with age, and links to health outcomes were inconsistent (Fernandez et al., Science, 2025).
• A 2024 meta-analysis of 25 randomized trials (1,024 people, 0.5 to 6 g a day) found taurine lowered systolic blood pressure by about 4 mmHg, fasting glucose by about 6 mg/dL and triglycerides by about 18 mg/dL (Tzang et al., Nutrition & Diabetes, 2024).
• No trial has shown that taurine slows aging, extends life or reduces wrinkles in people.
• A safety review identified 3 g a day as the observed safe level for healthy adults (Shao & Hathcock, 2008).

What is taurine?

Taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid. Unlike most amino acids, it is not used to build proteins; it floats freely inside cells, where it helps balance water and salts, supports bile production, and acts in the heart, muscles, eyes and brain. Your body can make some taurine from other amino acids, and you also get it from food. Meat, fish, shellfish and dairy are the main sources, while plant foods contain very little, so vegans tend to eat almost none. It is also a standard ingredient in many energy drinks and is added to infant formula.

Because the body makes it, taurine is considered "conditionally essential." Healthy adults are not known to become deficient on a normal diet, which matters for the longevity claims below.

The 2023 Science study that started the hype

The study that put taurine on longevity lists was a large international effort led by Vijay Yadav at Columbia University and the National Institute of Immunology in New Delhi (Singh et al., 2023). Its main findings:

• Taurine falls with age (in their samples). In monkeys, serum taurine at 15 years was 85% lower than at 5 years, and in elderly humans it was more than 80% lower than in younger people.
• Mice lived longer. Starting at 14 months of age (middle age), mice received taurine at 1,000 mg per kilogram of body weight once a day for the rest of their lives. Both female and male mice outlived controls, with median lifespan up 10 to 12%.
• Healthspan improved in several species. Taurine-fed mice had better bone strength, muscle endurance, glucose control and memory measures. In worms, taurine extended lifespan. In 15-year-old rhesus monkeys (roughly 45 to 50 human years) given 250 mg/kg daily for 6 months, taurine increased spine and leg bone density, cut fasting blood glucose by 19%, and lowered the liver-damage markers AST and ALT by about 36% and 20%.
• Cellular aging markers shifted. Taurine reduced cellular senescence, DNA damage, mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation in the animals.
• Human associations. In 11,966 adults from the EPIC-Norfolk cohort, higher taurine levels were associated with lower body mass index, less abdominal obesity, lower rates of type 2 diabetes and other favorable risk factors. Taurine levels also rose after a bout of exercise.

The authors themselves concluded that "clinical trials in humans seem warranted." That is the key point: the lifespan result is in animals, at doses far higher than people typically take. For scale, simple arithmetic on the monkey dose of 250 mg/kg would be about 17.5 g a day for a 70 kg adult, nearly six times the 3 g observed safe level. (Animal-to-human dose conversion is not that simple, but it shows these were not supplement-aisle amounts.) Columbia University has filed provisional patents with the lead author named as an inventor, which the paper discloses.

The 2025 NIH study that complicated the story

Two years later, researchers at the National Institute on Aging's intramural program tested the central premise, that taurine declines with age (Fernandez et al., Science, 2025). They measured circulating taurine in three geographically distinct human cohorts, plus rhesus monkeys and mice, using both cross-sectional samples (different people at different ages) and longitudinal samples (the same people measured repeatedly over years).

Their conclusion: taurine increased or remained unchanged with age in all of these groups. Associations between taurine and age-related changes in physical function and metabolism varied widely between people. The authors wrote that changes in circulating taurine "are not a universal feature of aging" and that its effects may depend on each person's physiology.

That does not prove taurine supplements are useless. It does mean the simple story, "levels drop as you age, so topping them up reverses aging," is not supported in people. It also means a blood taurine test is not a reliable biomarker of how fast you are aging.

What human trials show

There are no human lifespan or aging-rate trials of taurine. The human evidence comes from shorter studies on specific health measures:

Outcome	What trials found	Strength
Blood pressure	About 4 mmHg lower systolic, 1.5 mmHg lower diastolic	Moderate (25 RCTs)
Fasting glucose, triglycerides	About 6 mg/dL and 18 mg/dL lower	Moderate
HDL cholesterol	No significant change	Moderate
Antioxidant enzymes	SOD rose in 24 women aged 55 to 70	Small, single trial
Lifespan or biological age	Not tested in published trials	None yet

The metabolic data come from the 2024 meta-analysis of 25 randomized controlled trials (Tzang et al.). Doses ranged from 0.5 to 6 g a day for 5 to 365 days, and no significant adverse effects were seen compared with control groups. The authors found a dose-related effect on diastolic pressure and fasting glucose. These effects are real but small, roughly in the range of a modest lifestyle change, and most trials were short and involved people with metabolic risk factors.

The aging-specific trial most often cited is a Brazilian study of 24 women aged 55 to 70, who took 1.5 g of taurine or placebo for 16 weeks. Taurine raised blood levels of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) and prevented a rise in a marker of oxidative damage seen in the placebo group (Abud et al., Nutrition, 2022). It is a small biomarker study, not evidence of slower aging.

A larger randomized trial in Germany gave 90 adults aged 55 to 75 either 4 g of taurine a day or placebo for 6 months, with biological-age measures as an outcome; it was listed as completed in November 2025, but no results had been posted as of October 2026 (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06613542).

Does taurine help aging skin?

This is where taurine is most interesting for skin, and also where the evidence is earliest-stage. Taurine is one of the "osmolytes" that skin cells use to hold on to water.

• Researchers found the taurine transporter (TAUT) in the upper layers of human epidermis, and keratinocytes pulled in more taurine when skin was experimentally dried out. Taurine-loaded cells were protected from dehydration- and UV-induced cell death in the lab (Janeke et al., Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2003).
• A 2020 study of skin samples from young and older volunteers found that UV exposure and aging reduced levels of the taurine transporter. Aged keratinocytes recovered poorly from water stress, and adding taurine in the lab rescued cell volume (Foster et al., Aging Cell, 2020). The authors suggest taurine may play a role in age-related dry skin (xerosis).

These are lab and tissue findings. No controlled trial has shown that taking taurine by mouth, or applying it to the skin, reduces wrinkles or visibly improves aging skin. Some moisturizers list taurine as an ingredient, but if dry, aging skin is your concern, ingredients with clinical data, such as ceramides, glycerin and humectants (see our anti-aging skincare for dry skin guide), are a better bet.

Is taurine safe, and how much do people take?

Taurine appears to be one of the safer supplements:

• Observed safe level: A risk assessment by the Council for Responsible Nutrition concluded the evidence for no adverse effects is strong at supplemental intakes up to 3 g a day for healthy adults. Higher doses have been used without problems, but long-term data above 3 g are not sufficient to call them safe (Shao & Hathcock, 2008).
• Trial doses: Human trials have used 0.5 to 6 g a day; the aging-focused trials used 1.5 g and 4 g.
• Side effects: Trials report few adverse effects. Some people notice mild stomach upset at higher doses.
• Energy drinks are not a good source. Many contain taurine, but they also deliver caffeine and sugar. Any benefit from taurine is not a reason to drink more of them.

Ask your doctor before taking taurine if you have kidney disease, take blood pressure or diabetes medicines (taurine's small effects could add to them), or are pregnant or breastfeeding. As with any supplement, products are not FDA-approved for safety or effectiveness before sale, so choose one with third-party testing (USP, NSF or Informed Choice).

Taurine compared with other longevity supplements

Supplement	Best evidence in people	Lifespan shown in
Taurine	Small metabolic benefits	Mice, worms
NMN / NR	Raise NAD+ levels	Not consistently
Urolithin A	Muscle endurance in older adults	Worms
Metformin	No survival benefit without diabetes	Not in NIA mouse program

For more detail, see our guides to NAD+ and NMN supplements, urolithin A, metformin for anti-aging and the mTOR pathway and aging.

Habits that may raise taurine naturally

If you are curious about taurine but not ready to supplement, the same 2023 study found that blood taurine rose about 1.16-fold after a graded cycling test in sprinters, endurance runners and bodybuilders, and tended to rise in sedentary men too. Exercise has far stronger human evidence for healthy aging than any supplement (see exercise and anti-aging). Fish, shellfish, poultry and dairy also supply taurine in the diet.

Frequently asked questions

Does taurine reverse aging?

No. Taurine extended median lifespan by 10 to 12% in mice and improved some health measures in monkeys, but there are no human studies showing it slows or reverses aging. A 2025 NIH study also found that taurine levels do not reliably decline with age in people.

How much taurine should I take for longevity?

There is no proven longevity dose. Human trials have used 0.5 to 6 g a day, and 3 g a day is the highest intake with strong evidence of safety in healthy adults. The mouse lifespan study used doses far higher than typical supplements.

Is taurine good for your skin?

Lab studies show skin cells use taurine to stay hydrated and that aging and UV reduce the skin's taurine transporter. But no clinical trial has shown that taurine supplements or creams reduce wrinkles or visibly improve aging skin.

Is taurine safe to take every day?

For healthy adults, daily intakes up to about 3 g appear safe based on human trials. Talk to your doctor first if you have kidney disease, take blood pressure or diabetes medicines, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Do energy drinks give you the benefits of taurine?

Not in a useful way. Energy drinks contain taurine but also caffeine and often a lot of sugar, which work against healthy aging goals. If you want taurine, food or a third-party-tested supplement is a better route.

Why did the 2023 and 2025 taurine studies disagree?

The 2023 study compared taurine in different groups of younger and older people and animals and found lower levels with age. The 2025 NIH study used three human cohorts and also followed the same people over time, and found levels rose or stayed flat. Differences in populations, diet and study design likely explain the conflict.

Bottom line

Taurine is a promising, inexpensive and generally safe compound with striking results in mice and monkeys and small, real benefits for blood pressure, blood sugar and triglycerides in human trials. But the central claim behind the hype, that people become taurine deficient as they age, did not hold up in the 2025 NIH study, and no human trial has shown taurine slows aging or improves aging skin. If you try it, stay at or below about 3 g a day, choose a tested product, and keep exercise, sleep and sun protection as your real anti-aging foundation.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting taurine or any supplement, especially if you have a medical condition, take prescription medicines, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Sources

• Singh P, et al. Taurine deficiency as a driver of aging. Science. 2023;380:eabn9257
• Fernandez ME, et al. Is taurine an aging biomarker? Science. 2025;388:eadl2116
• Tzang CC, et al. Taurine reduces the risk for metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Diabetes. 2024;14:29
• Abud GF, et al. Taurine as a possible antiaging therapy: a controlled clinical trial on taurine antioxidant activity in women ages 55 to 70. Nutrition. 2022;101:111706
• Shao A, Hathcock JN. Risk assessment for the amino acids taurine, L-glutamine and L-arginine. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2008;50:376-399
• Janeke G, et al. Role of taurine accumulation in keratinocyte hydration. J Invest Dermatol. 2003;121:354-361
• Foster AR, et al. Osmolyte transporter expression is reduced in photoaged human skin: implications for skin hydration in aging. Aging Cell. 2020;19:e13058
• ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06613542: Daily taurine for 6 months on biological age in adults 55-75
• FDA: Dietary supplements