Can Energy Drinks or Taurine Supplements Give You Wings? (2024)

This article was first published inThe Montreal Gazette.

Icame across Bryan Johnson, self-described “professional rejuvenation athlete,” thanks to Red Bull, the world’s most popular “energy drink.”

I was looking into which ingredients, if any, may justify the slogan that “Red Bull gives you wings.”

In addition to caffeine, which really is a stimulant, the beverage contains some B vitamins, glucuronolactone and taurine. If someone is truly deficient in B vitamins, they may indeed lack energy, but such a deficiency would be rare in the developed world, especially among people who can fork out $3 for an energy drink.

Glucuronolactone may have a slight effect on energy if you are a rat forced to swim for 30 minutes after being injected with the substance. But even here, there is a but. Glucuronolactone failed to affect time to exhaustion in the first 30-minute swim, but improved performance relative to saline in the second and third swim.

Then we come to taurine. This is an amino acid that is found widely in the body, although its function is not clear. Unlike other amino acids, it isn’t incorporated into proteins, but is needed for the normal function of skeletal muscle and heart muscle. In theory, exercise capacity may be limited in individuals with a low level of taurine, but such a deficiency is virtually impossible given that taurine occurs amply in the diet, and in any case, can be synthesized in the body from the common amino acid cysteine. The name “taurine” derives from “taurus,” the Latin word for bull, but the term was not inspired by the strength of the animal — which if you ask any matador, is quite impressive. It was coined on account of taurine having first been isolated from bull bile in 1827 by German scientists Friedrich Tiedemann and Leopold Gmelin.

While taurine will not give you wings, it does have some interesting features.

In humans, taurine levels decline with age and lower levels of taurine and its metabolites are associated with obesity, diabetes, hypertension and inflammation. That brings up the question of potential benefits of taurine supplements.

Can it be the “the elixir of life within us,” as suggested by Dr. Vijay Yadav, the Columbia University geneticist who was the lead researcher in a study published in the prestigious journal Science with the alluring title Taurine Deficiency As a Driver of Aging? The study involved more than 50 scientists around the world and describes feeding taurine to mice, monkeys and worms to investigate the compound’s effect on aging. The lifespan of the treated mice increased by 10 to 12 per cent compared with a control group that received no supplement, and the treated worms also lived longer.

What makes the report even more interesting that the mice not only lived longer, but also had an improved “health span.” After all, living longer isn’t much fun if you are not healthy.

The researchers found that treated mice fared better than the controls when it came to the functioning of their pancreas, brain, gut and immune system. They also had improved bone strength and stronger muscles. Damage to DNA, a hallmark of aging, was also reduced. The trial was not long enough to study the life span of the monkeys, but like the mice, these animals also showed an improvement in parameters of health. All of this would seem to indicate that we should be quickly ordering taurine supplements, or at least reaching for that can of Red Bull to slow down the curse of aging.

Whoa! Time to crunch some numbers.

The subjects in the experiments were given a gram of taurine per kg body weight. For a human weighing 65 kg (143 lbs), this translates to 65 grams. A can of Red Bull contains 1 gram. Even the most devoted Red Bull fan would rule out consuming 65 cans of the beverage. Would a much smaller dose of taurine, a few grams a day, be of any use? Without a human clinical trial, we cannot even make a guess. But Bryan Johnson and his advisers do make a guess. Johnson takes three grams of the supplement a day. Along with 26 other supplements. And that is how I came across this biohacker. His name repeatedly popped up when I was looking into the potential anti-aging effects of taurine.

The man is quite a phenomenon. He is a multimillionaire who made a fortune by selling the payment processing business he founded to PayPal and now devotes his life to slowing down the march of time. During interviews, he often wears a t-shirt with “DON’T DIE” in bold lettering. You can buy one from his company, Blueprint, along with the supplements that he takes. The shirt only costs 24 bucks, but if you want to follow in Johnson’ s footsteps, the supplements can set you back hundreds a month.

Although Johnson will make statements like “death may not be inevitable,” I doubt he actually thinks he can outrun the Grim Reaper. He looks on himself as an experiment to see whether the biological clock can be slowed by incorporating the results of scientific studies into one’s life. He jumps on any study that shows some benefit in some published trial, be it in cell culture, worm, fly or animal. Then he takes a giant leap of faith that it may benefit humans.

Johnson, who has no scientific background, has put together a regime that he claims can reverse biologic aging and extend life. It would take too long to list all the supplements he takes, but some you may recognize include glucosamine, turmeric, cocoa flavanols, melatonin, coenzyme Q10, ashwagandha, sulforaphane, genistein, hyaluronic acid, testosterone, garlic, ginger and taurine. Then there’s N-acetylcysteine, nicotinamide riboside, tyrosine, pea protein, calcium alpha-ketoglutarate and nordihydroguaiaretic acid. You can even add such prescription drugs as metformin, rapamycin and 17-alpha estradiol that have hinted at longevity. Besides supplements, Bryan follows a vegan diet, fasts for 18 hours a day, engages in a brutal exercise regimen and clamps a machine on his abdomen that he says produces the same effect as 20,000 situps by stimulating his core muscles.

He also emphasizes the importance of sleep, although I’m not sure how well he sleeps with a device strapped to his penis to monitor the extent of his night-time erections, which he claims is a measure of aging.

How is Johnson doing? He certainly looks ripped, and his frequent MRIs and tests for numerous biomarkers indicate that his biological age is indeed younger than his actual age. Pretty interesting, but still, this is a study of n=1, which in science no way constitutes proof.

As far as taurine goes, any argument that it is responsible for giving Red Bull wings just doesn’t fly.

@JoeSchwarcz

Can Energy Drinks or Taurine Supplements Give You Wings? (2024)

FAQs

Can Energy Drinks or Taurine Supplements Give You Wings? ›

While taurine will not give you wings, it does have some interesting features. In humans, taurine levels decline with age and lower levels of taurine and its metabolites are associated with obesity, diabetes, hypertension and inflammation. That brings up the question of potential benefits of taurine supplements.

Which energy drink gives you wings? ›

Since 1992, Red Bull is known for making a series of animated commercials under the slogan "Red Bull gives you wings.", featuring squint-eyed large-nosed characters who grow a pair of wings after drinking the product. To this day, the campaign has been broadcast in over 170 countries worldwide.

What are the side effects of taking taurine supplements? ›

“There have been some side effects reported in people who take excessive taurine, like vomiting, nausea, liver pain, headache and stomach pain,” Zumpano says.

What does taurine in energy drinks do to you? ›

One example is that taurine is used for energy production. Taurine also helps the body process bile acid and balance fluids, salts and minerals, among other actions.

How much taurine per day? ›

Studies that used taurine to improve recovery had participants supplement on multiple days before and after exercise. No serious adverse effects have been reported with taurine supplementation, and the current evidence indicates that a regular intake of up to 3 grams per day can be consumed without safety concerns.

Does Red Bull really give you wings? ›

Red Bull Doesn't Actually Give You Wings. Oh, Canada! For over 20 years, the popular energy drink used “Red Bull gives you wings” as its catchy slogan, but in 2014, Red Bull agreed to pay out more than thirteen million dollars after settling a U.S. class action lawsuit that accused the company of false advertising.

What is the strongest energy drink to get? ›

There is a three-way tie for the top of the caffeine list – Celcius Heat, Bang and Rockstar Xdurance, all with 300 mg of caffeine per can. Although this comes in under the 400 mg threshold, it would be advisable to proceed with caution, particularly if you have any underlying health conditions.

Who should avoid taurine? ›

If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, you should avoid taurine supplements. Also, taurine interacts with some medications, such as antidepressants, anti-seizure drugs, statins, and blood thinners.

What is the miracle of taurine? ›

Taurine promotes cardiovascular health, insulin sensitivity, electrolyte balance, hearing function, and immune modulation. In animal research, taurine protected against heart failure, reducing mortality by nearly 80%. Its benefits are so broad and extensive that scientists have described taurine as “a wonder molecule.”

What does taurine do to your brain? ›

Taurine reduces brain water content and improves neurological function. It also reduces the expression of some factors such as 12/15 lipoxygenase, mitogen-activated protein kinase, phospholipase A2, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (Zhang et al., 2017).

Is taurine safe for the kidneys? ›

Taurine has been shown to play a role in four different forms of kidney disease: glomerulonephritis, diabetic nephropathy, chronic renal failure, and acute kidney injury (AKI).

Should older people take taurine? ›

Taurine and Longevity. Levels of taurine have been shown to decline as we age, and offsetting this loss with a taurine supplement might delay the development of age-related health problems [164,165,166,167].

What is the best form of taurine? ›

The best food sources are meat, fish, and eggs. Taurine has important functions in the heart and brain.

Did someone really sue Red Bull for not giving them wings? ›

Red Bull, the popular energy drink company, has agreed to pay a substantial $13 million to settle a proposed class action lawsuit alleging false advertising. The lawsuit, which accused the company of deceptive marketing practices, targeted the famous slogan “Red Bull Gives You Wings.”

Which drink gives you the most energy? ›

Drinks
  • Water. Water is the most crucial energizing ingredient on this list. ...
  • Coffee. Coffee is a recognizable energy booster. ...
  • Green tea. Green tea still contains small amounts of caffeine, but it also has compounds that may help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the body. ...
  • Yerba maté

What is the Red Bull gives you wings strategy? ›

As mentioned above, Red Bull's messaging strategy centers on their tagline, “Red Bull Gives You Wings,” emphasizing the idea that their product provides people with the energy and power to pursue their goals and desires.

What energy drink wants you to unleash the beast? ›

Unleash The Beast - Come With Us | Monster Energy.

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