Synthetic vs. Real taurine
If you look up the definition of 'taurine', the only thing that comes up is this:
"an amino acid containing sulphur and important in the metabolism of fats."
Not really the most helpful thing. In fact it isn't just any amino acid, it originally was found in the bile of bulls but is now produced synthetically (fake), although it is also found in other animal products such as meat and fish. Energy drinks contain this as we produce taurine ourselves and taurine is used when stressed out or working out, and therefore energy drinks are scientifically made to give you a boost.
However great this may seem though, it can wreck your body, especially your nerves. It can cause anxiety issues and sleep problems and other things associated with large caffeine intake. The Global Healing Center produced an article on this, saying, "Taurine, mostly in its natural form, actually shows positive effects on the cardiovascular system, nervous system, and immune system. Since it has been shown to somewhat mitigate anxiety, it may counteract the effects of caffeine in energy drinks." The article also discusses other options instead of taurine to help you, such as high energy foods and vegan B-12 vitamins.
So is taurine vegan and how can you tell which ones are synthetically made? Honestly, I have no idea. PETA did an article about which energy drinks contain fake taurine, and they listed Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar, Kombucha and Sambazon. I personally have never had the last two, but was glad to know the first 3 are using fake taurine which has not gone near or come from an animal.
Everything vegan also did an article which was great to read about, and they stated that "While the average omnivore consumes 60-200mg every day through the meats they eat. Vegans consume almost no Taurine except through energy drinks." They also highlighted the issue which I am addressing, that there is nothing to indicate when taurine in drinks is real or not. However synthetic taurine is so mass produced and cheap, it is unlikely your drink has real taurine in it.
P.S. it is also a lie that it comes from bull semen, so don't worry too much about that. It does come from their bile, which as a vegan is not right either, but at least it's not the former!
Check out their blog for more: https://www.everythingvegan.com/blogs/is-it-vegan/is-taurine-vegan
PETA: https://www.peta.org/living/food/5-vegan-energy-drinks/
Global healing center: https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/dangers-of-taurine/
"an amino acid containing sulphur and important in the metabolism of fats."
Not really the most helpful thing. In fact it isn't just any amino acid, it originally was found in the bile of bulls but is now produced synthetically (fake), although it is also found in other animal products such as meat and fish. Energy drinks contain this as we produce taurine ourselves and taurine is used when stressed out or working out, and therefore energy drinks are scientifically made to give you a boost.
However great this may seem though, it can wreck your body, especially your nerves. It can cause anxiety issues and sleep problems and other things associated with large caffeine intake. The Global Healing Center produced an article on this, saying, "Taurine, mostly in its natural form, actually shows positive effects on the cardiovascular system, nervous system, and immune system. Since it has been shown to somewhat mitigate anxiety, it may counteract the effects of caffeine in energy drinks." The article also discusses other options instead of taurine to help you, such as high energy foods and vegan B-12 vitamins.
So is taurine vegan and how can you tell which ones are synthetically made? Honestly, I have no idea. PETA did an article about which energy drinks contain fake taurine, and they listed Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar, Kombucha and Sambazon. I personally have never had the last two, but was glad to know the first 3 are using fake taurine which has not gone near or come from an animal.
Everything vegan also did an article which was great to read about, and they stated that "While the average omnivore consumes 60-200mg every day through the meats they eat. Vegans consume almost no Taurine except through energy drinks." They also highlighted the issue which I am addressing, that there is nothing to indicate when taurine in drinks is real or not. However synthetic taurine is so mass produced and cheap, it is unlikely your drink has real taurine in it.
P.S. it is also a lie that it comes from bull semen, so don't worry too much about that. It does come from their bile, which as a vegan is not right either, but at least it's not the former!
Check out their blog for more: https://www.everythingvegan.com/blogs/is-it-vegan/is-taurine-vegan
PETA: https://www.peta.org/living/food/5-vegan-energy-drinks/
Global healing center: https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/dangers-of-taurine/
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