# What in God's name is taurine? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 4, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-gods-name-is-taurine/302450 "2005-05-04T21:53:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-gods-name-is-taurine/302450/1 "2005-05-04T21:53:48Z")
Dear friends, We’ve all heard the urban legend: taurine is made from bull balls. Bullshit, I say. Those, I’d tell that dirty urban legend, are rocky mountain oysters. Having recently had my first real dose of taurine (in an “energy drink” called a Rumba) and subsequently feeling very very strange (also due to a 4a.m.-12 noon automobile marathon), I was curious…what exactly have I tainted myself with? -Birdmonster, SF ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-gods-name-is-taurine/302450/2 "2005-05-04T21:59:21Z")
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurine) ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-gods-name-is-taurine/302450/3 "2005-05-04T21:59:23Z")
Taurine is [an amino acid](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurine). You’re not likely to do much damage to your system by downing an energy drink containing taurine unless you have some sort of genetic metabolic disorder that would interfere with its breakdown. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-gods-name-is-taurine/302450/4 "2005-05-04T22:01:50Z")
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurine) ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-gods-name-is-taurine/302450/5 "2005-05-04T22:02:53Z")
Google is your friend. From: [http://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/fulltext/taurine3-2.html](http://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/fulltext/taurine3-2.html) > [@](#): > > Taurine is a conditionally-essential amino acid which is not utilized in protein synthesis, but rather is found free or in simple peptides. Taurine has been shown to be essential in certain aspects of mammalian development, and in vitro studies in various species have demonstrated that low levels of taurine are associated with various pathological lesions, including cardiomyopathy, retinal degeneration, and growth retardation, especially if deficiency occurs during development. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-gods-name-is-taurine/302450/6 "2005-05-04T22:03:08Z")
> [@neuroman](#): > > [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurine) Damn, beat me to it. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-gods-name-is-taurine/302450/7 "2005-05-04T22:06:42Z")
[Molecular Expressions: The Amino Acid Collection - Taurine](http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/aminoacids/pages/taurine.html) – This one has a neat picture. 🙂 [http://www.serve.com/BatonRouge/taurine\_chmr.htm](http://www.serve.com/BatonRouge/taurine_chmr.htm) – This site argues that it _can_ be essential for humans under some circumstances. (Cats, apparently, always need it.) I don’t quite get why energy drinks include it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-gods-name-is-taurine/302450/8 "2005-05-04T22:18:06Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > I don’t quite get why energy drinks include it, though. Because it’s such a _cool_ word to read on the label! Sounds scientific, so it must do _something_ for you! ---
**Author:** ![bizzwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-gods-name-is-taurine/302450/9 "2005-05-04T23:40:49Z")
IIRC Clams are a good source of taurine. If it’s good for clams, it _must_ be good for people. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-gods-name-is-taurine/302450/10 "2005-05-04T23:42:37Z")
> [@Birdmonster](#): > > We’ve all heard the urban legend: taurine is made from bull balls. Bullshit, I say. No, not from that either. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-gods-name-is-taurine/302450/11 "2005-05-05T14:41:52Z")
Bile Chemicals! Doubly appetizing! I’m out to get my Rumba 12-pack as we speak.