Meta-Analysis: Could Energy Drinks be All About Taurine? Taurine, not Caffeine Predicts Performance Enhancement
While almost all energy drinks appear to have it, the evidence that taurine adds to the effects of caffeine has hitherto been unconvincing. Does this change with the latest study by a group of researchers from Brazil and Spain? Energy drinks (ED) are all about caffeine, right? I have to admit. If you had asked me before I've read the latest study from the Londrina State University in Brazil and the Camilo José Cela University in Spain, I would have answered this question in the affirmative. I mean, come on... the strange add-ons the producers mix into their drinks have but one purpose: distinguish drink X from drink Y and, even more importantly, the healthier competition of plain coffee. The fact that Souza, et al. observed in their latest meta-analysis that "a signifcant association between taurine dosage (mg) and performance (slope = 0.0001; p = 0.04), but not between caffeine dosage (mg) and performance (slope = 0.0009; p = 0.21)," caught my attention. You can...