Energy drinks are immensely popular, particularly for college students and athletes needing a quick boost of energy and focus. Taurine, an amino acid found in meat and fish, is often the ingredient in these drinks or supplements that overstate the claims of its benefits, including that it may help with exercise performance and mental clarity.

Recently, a groundbreaking study published by the University of Rochester, and reported on in Nature, raises questions about the connection between taurine and blood cancer development, specifically leukemia.

What did the study find?

The study showed that taurine might encourage the onset and progression of leukemia, called leukemogenesis. In their experiments using mice, the researchers found that taurine supplementation led to a significantly higher disease burden and a threefold increase in the likelihood of death than mice that were not taking taurine.

How does taurine support cancer cells? The study’s results suggest that leukemia cells utilize taurine which stimulates glycolysis where glucose is broken down to create energy. The energy produced by taurine encourages cancer cells to grow and divide at a higher rate.

Is Taurine Good or Bad for You?

It’s worth noting that taurine has also been shown to have protective effects in patients receiving cancer treatment. Earlier studies, such as one published in the Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics, suggested that taurine’s antioxidant status may help alleviate some of the toxic effects of chemotherapy.

The duality of taurine — possibly protective during treatment but likely harmful in consuming taurine in an effort to promote leukemia development — has led researchers to advise caution for any patients with leukemia or at risk of blood cancers, such as myelodysplastic syndromes or aplastic anemia, who are consuming taurine in energy drinks or supplements.

What is Leukemia?

Leukemia is a type of blood cancer that originates in the bone marrow where blood cells are produced. Biology defined leukemia, in this case, as an uncontrolled increase of immature/undifferentiated white blood cells called blasts or leukemia cells. The difference between leukemic and healthy white blood cells is that the leukemic cells do not have the necessary components to function normally.

In spite of this, they proliferate uncontrollably, which causes crowding of the bone marrow and can cause; fatigue, increased susceptibility to infections, bleeding issues and more.

What Does This Mean for Energy Drink Consumers?

While the research was performed mainly in mice and studies with humans will have to be performed next, it raises some important questions about the safety of taurine in energy drinks:

• Is there a possibility that taurine rich energy drinks could cause blood cancer with frequent consumption patterns in human adults?
• Is there a reason to not drink energy drinks if you have a history of leukemia or are otherwise high risk?
• Is there a limit to the safe amount of taurine, especially when considering its intake levels for sensitive populations?

Researchers recommended a conservative approach to consumption, especially for patients undergoing cancer treatement or with a family history of blood cancers.

What should be avoided?

• Do not use taurine supplements or taurine-rich energy drinks to conduct self-care treatments or preventative medicine for cancer. Taurine’s role is both complex and does not serve as a replacement for your medical care.
• Avoid excessive consumption of energy drinks, especially if you have underlying health issues, to avert other stimulants in energy drinks that affect heart health and blood pressure.
• Avoid self-care treatments or making changes to your cancer treatment plan based on taurine research without approval from your oncology team.
• Avoid serving energy drinks to children, adolescents, or pregnant women as safe consumption of energy drinks has not been established in these groups.

Be careful, energy drinks are not all the same; read labels carefully to understand taurine and caffeine content.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can energy drinks cause leukemia?

Research to date indicates taurine in energy drinks may enhance the growth of leukemia cells (in animal models), but there is no direct evidence that energy drinks cause leukemia in humans so far. Clinical studies are warranted.

Is taurine safe in a supplemental or energy drink?

Generally, taurine is safe when taken in normal amounts by healthy individuals, but those with blood cancers or receiving chemotherapy should consult with their doctors before taking taurine supplements or consuming energy drinks regularly.

Should leukemia patients stay away from taurine?

In light of the recent observations, leukemia patients should certainly discuss their consumption of taurine with their treating healthcare providers, given that it may further progress their illness.

Can taurine be beneficial in a chemotherapy context?

Taurine has antioxidant properties that may be beneficial to ameliorate some of the sequelae associated with chemotherapy. It is important to note that taurine supplementation is complex, and should only be performed under medical supervision.

Are energy drinks always harmful?

Not necessarily. The risks of energy drinks are based on the individual’s health, frequency and amount consumed. Energy drinks contain a number of other stimulants (e.g. caffeine) which offers other health related questions.

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