Taurine
Conditionally essential sulfonic acid abundant in muscle, heart, retina, and brain. Modulates calcium signaling, mitochondrial function, osmotic regulation, and bile acid conjugation. Serum taurine declines ~80% from youth to old age.
Singh et al. (Science 2023) showed taurine supplementation extended healthspan ~10% in mice and worms, with some human age-reversal biomarker data. This paper drove significant community adoption. Human clinical trials are underway. Bryan Johnson's Blueprint protocol includes 2 g/day. Mechanistic pathways: mitochondrial uncoupling improvement, GABA receptor modulation (anxiolytic), and gut microbiome support.
Very safe at typical doses. Caution in renal failure (taurine is renally cleared). Some case reports of altered kidney function at very high doses (>40 g/day — irrelevant at longevity doses). Energy drink associations (taurine + caffeine combinations) are not applicable to standalone supplement use.
External links to PubMed searches, ClinicalTrials.gov, and FDA materials. We do not host papers — we point at canonical sources.
Dietary supplement (DSHEA). GRAS as food ingredient. No FDA drug approval.
Distilled themes from named communities — Reddit threads, forums, creator commentary. Not direct quotes; not clinical evidence. Useful for calibrating expectations against what real self-experimenters report.
Post-Science 2023 paper adoption was immediate. Most users report no noticeable subjective effect at 1–2 g/day — consistent with the paper's focus on biomarkers rather than subjective outcomes. Stacked with creatine in longevity protocols.