Taurine Supplementation Lowers Blood Pressure and Improves Vascular Function in Prehypertension: Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized controlled trial
PubMed 26781281 · doi:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.115.06624
What was done
Researchers randomized 120 prehypertensive individuals in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to receive either oral taurine supplementation (1.6 g/day) or placebo for 12 weeks. Measured outcomes included clinic blood pressure, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure, endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vasodilation, and plasma levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and taurine. Supplementary mechanistic assays evaluated human and mouse mesenteric arteries.
What was found
Taurine significantly decreased clinic and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure compared with placebo. Mean clinic systolic BP reduction for taurine versus placebo was 7.2 versus 2.6 mm Hg, and diastolic BP reduction was 4.7 versus 1.3 mm Hg. Mean ambulatory systolic BP reduction was 3.8 versus 0.3 mm Hg, and diastolic BP reduction was 3.5 versus 0.6 mm Hg. Taurine supplementation also improved endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vasodilation, increased plasma H2S and taurine concentrations, and inhibited TRPC3-mediated calcium influx.
Why it matters
This trial shows that oral taurine supplementation produces meaningful reductions in ambulatory and clinic blood pressure alongside improved vascular reactivity in prehypertension, offering a potential non-pharmacologic strategy.
Limits
The trial was limited to 120 participants over 12 weeks, meaning long-term efficacy, durability, and hard cardiovascular outcomes remain unknown. The abstract omits confidence intervals, standard deviations, baseline dietary taurine intake, participant demographics, and adverse event profiles. Findings in prehypertension cannot be generalized directly to established or medicated hypertension.
Cited by
- supports A clinical trial in 120 individuals with prehypertension taking 1.6 g/day of taurine showed a systolic blood pressure reduction of 7.2 mmHg compared to 2.6 mmHg for placebo.