Is Taurine Good as a Pre-Workout Supplement?

September 7. 2021

Taurine is an amino acid that we can find in meat, dairy, fish. People often put it in energy drinks and pre-workout supplements. If you use it properly, as a pre-workout, it can have a lot of benefits. The benefits of taking taurine are numerous, and it can improve our mental and physical health; it can provide an additional source of energy for our body, but it also doesn’t mean that taurine is always good for us; combining it with other substances can cause problems. For example, when combined with caffeine and sugar, it can increase heart rate and blood sugar, sometimes it can cause sleeping troubles. Also, added sugar provides unwanted calories. 

Benefits of pre-workout (Taurine)

• It can help weight loss

If there were magic potions or pills, weight loss would be much easier, but there aren’t; the key for weight loss is proper diet and exercise. We can add taurine as a pre-workout to our nutrition, and it will increase our energy, and the time we spend working out will pay off much faster. When we start eating clean, our body is going through many changes. Our energy level varies. Because we consume fewer carbohydrates, it’s harder for us to do proper exercise; pre-workout can help here. Factors that contribute to obesity mostly depend on us, and taking taurine won’t allow us magically lose weight overnight. We have to eat healthily and change our lifestyle, and taurine or any other pre-workout supplement is just an addition that can help.

• Muscle gain 

For people trying to build muscle, pre-workout can be a significant part of their diet. Nutrition coaches will often recommend taking some supplements to help you during a workout and help you after because taurine can reduce muscle soreness. Studies have shown that taurine has a significant influence on the regulation of electrolytes and fluids, which means that it can enlarge muscles by bringing more liquids into them.

• Improves strength

To lose weight, we should build muscle because muscle helps us burn fat. Before we can see results in the mirror, we can feel them. Using taurine as a pre-workout can improve our strength, and we can feel more potent in the short time after we start going to the gym.

• Improving cardio workout performance 

Fewer people prefer cardio; it’s harder to do it, sometimes it can be tedious, but in most cases, we don’t have enough energy, we get tired quickly and want to give up. But with taurine, we can increase energy level and enhance our performance in aerobic workouts

• Help with diabetes

Taurine can help control blood sugar and stabilize it for the long term.

• Prevent heart disease

Scientists say that taurine has a lot of cardiovascular benefits. It is discovered that taking taurine can decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases by reducing levels of homocysteine (the amino acid that increases the risk of heart disease when the amount of this amino acid is higher than usual) 

• Regulates blood pressure

People with high blood pressure experienced the benefits of taurine; it decreased blood pressure in a short time.   

How to use taurine?

Everything we take daily ( food, water, soda, alcohol, etc.) has to be moderate, and if we cross the limit, it has terrible consequences on our health. Taking too much food can lead to obesity; if we take too much alcohol, it can cause addiction. What happens when we take too much taurine? How much is enough? Studies say that the best dose is 1 to 3 grams of taurine as a pre-workout a day, and when you use it in this amount, it has no adverse effects. If you use more than recommended for a short time, it can’t hurt you; it can help you.

When it comes to dosage, the vital thing we should pay attention to is when we take taurine with some other supplements because there haven’t been reported many side effects of taurine. Still, there have been reported deaths and heart issues of professional athletes who consumed too many energy drinks. Energy drinks contain lots of caffeine, sugar, and taurine. Anyway, there are some reported side effects of taurine like itching, dizziness, it doesn’t happen often, but it happens. One man developed a rare skin disease, and doctors concluded that taurine was the cause. There is also one bodybuilder who reported that he suffered brain damage after taking too much taurine. Conclusion: Taurine is good for us if we use it in the right way. 

Should I take taurine as a pre-workout?

You can easily find literature about taurine that says taurine isn’t adequate as a pre-workout. It says that taurine is a supplement that helps after a workout. You can read there about research that shows taurine doesn’t increase energy at all. Some people believe that it’s completely unnecessary because we can get it from the food we eat. There is an opinion that you won’t feel any different after taking taurine. Some people say that it can’t hurt you; it can just help. Supporters of pre-workout supplements think that taurine is very effective and helpful for our health, and they point out that there are no side effects if you use taurine properly. After all, it’s up to you. Make a decision according to what you are planning to achieve by taking your supplements, and don’t forget you can seek help from professionals or read studies about taurine.

Final thoughts

If you are not sure how to use taurine to reach your goal in health or fitness, or you are just worried about harming your health by taking taurine. You can always seek help depending on your plan. If your goal is losing weight, you can go to a weight loss clinic, where experts can give you helpful advice about your diet and the supplements you should take. You can ask qualified personal trainers to direct you in taking taurine as a pre-workout. Don’t risk your health by taking taurine as a pre-workout supplement by yourself if you don’t know much about dosage, benefits, and side effects. 

Is your goal to lose weight? Are you tired of traditional dieting? You can get in touch with our clinic if you have any doubts about health or losing weight. We can help you achieve better, faster, and safer results. You can book your appointment online, or you can visit us. 

Author

Nurse Walton

Born and raised in Chicago, IL, Chanay received her Practical Nurse licensure and went to work in clinical specialties such as Home Health, Assisted Living, Long-Term Care and Dialysis Centers. Through this work, she realized the importance of diet, nutrition and weight loss among her patients. This led her to open A Better Weigh, Inc. Medical Weight Loss Center in 2009.