Perimenopause / menopause is one of the most significant physiological transitions a woman will experience, bringing with it a cascade of hormonal shifts that affect virtually every body system: cardiovascular, metabolic, skeletal, neurological, and more.
One of the questions I hear most often in my practice is: what supplements can help with perimenopause and menopause symptoms? It is a great question, and one with a growing body of evidence behind it. This series breaks down the top supplements for this stage of life, starting with taurine.
You might know taurine as an ingredient in energy drinks, but its biochemistry is far more nuanced than that association suggests. Here is what the peer-reviewed science tells us about why taurine deserves serious attention during the menopause transition.
Samantha Thompson, Registered Dietitian and Integrative & Functional Nutrition Certified Practitioner
What Is Taurine, and Why Do Menopausal Women Need More of It?
Taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid classified as conditionally essential, meaning the body can synthesize it, but often not in amounts sufficient for optimal health.
It is found abundantly in animal-based foods such as meat, fish, and dairy, and is entirely absent from plant foods. A typical omnivorous diet provides roughly 400 mg per day.
What makes taurine particularly relevant for women in perimenopause and menopause is that estrogen appears to directly suppress its production in the body.
A study published in the American Journal of Physiology: Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology (Ma et al., 2015) found that estradiol reduced levels of cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase, a key enzyme in the taurine synthesis pathway, via estrogen receptor-alpha signaling in female mice.
As estrogen levels fluctuate and then decline during this stage of life, a woman’s ability to produce adequate taurine becomes increasingly compromised, making dietary and supplemental sources more important than ever.
5 Science-Backed Benefits for Menopausal Women
1. Metabolic Health: Fighting the Hormonal Weight Shift
| The Problem | Menopause triggers insulin resistance, abdominal fat gain, and blood sugar dysregulation. |
| What the Research Shows | A 2024 meta-analysis of RCTs published in Nutrition and Diabetes (Tzang et al.) found taurine supplementation significantly improved fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, and blood pressure. A second 2024 meta-analysis of 34 RCTs confirmed improvements in insulin sensitivity and lipid profiles. |
| How It Works | Taurine stabilizes mitochondrial function and reduces oxidative stress, a key driver of insulin resistance (Jong et al., 2021). Since mitochondrial efficiency declines with age and estrogen loss, this protective role is especially relevant during menopause (Cui et al., 2012; Klinge, 2008). |
2. Cardiovascular Protection: Stepping In for Estrogen
| The Problem | Heart disease risk rises sharply after menopause as estrogen’s cardioprotective effects disappear. |
| What the Research Shows | A 2024 systematic review in Nutrition Journal (Tzang et al.) found taurine improved blood pressure, cardiac function markers, and vascular health. An earlier meta-analysis in the European Journal of Pharmacology (Guan and Miao, 2020) found similar results for blood pressure and lipid profiles. |
| How It Works | Taurine supports cardiovascular health through calcium regulation in cardiac tissue, blood pressure reduction, and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity (Tzang et al., Nutrition Journal, 2024). These are functions estrogen once helped to support. |
3. Bone Density: An Unexpected Ally
| The Problem | Osteoporosis risk accelerates after menopause. Calcium and vitamin D are essential, but they are not the whole picture. |
| What the Research Shows | A landmark 2023 study in Science (Singh et al., Columbia University) found taurine supplementation increased bone mass in the spine and femur and reversed osteoporosis in a menopause animal model. Earlier work in the Journal of Clinical Investigation (Roman-Garcia et al., 2014) connected taurine synthesis to bone mass via vitamin B12-dependent pathways. |
| Caveat | These findings are largely from animal models. Human clinical trials are in progress. |
4. Mood, Sleep, and Hot Flushes: Calming the Nervous System
| The Problem | Anxiety, poor sleep, and hot flushes are among the most disruptive menopause symptoms. Declining progesterone and estrogen are key contributors. |
| What the Research Shows | Taurine acts on GABA receptors, the same system progesterone supports, promoting calm and supporting sleep quality. A 2023 review in Nutrients (Forzano et al.) notes that excess norepinephrine triggered by estrogen fluctuations may drive hot flushes, and taurine may blunt this effect. |
| Caveat | Human trials specifically on taurine and vasomotor symptoms are still limited. |
5. Cellular Aging: Taurine Levels Decline With Age
| The Problem | Oxidative stress accelerates after menopause and underpins cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and neurodegeneration. |
| What the Research Shows | A controlled clinical trial in Nutrition (Abud et al., 2022) of women aged 55 to 70 found that 16 weeks of taurine supplementation significantly improved oxidative stress biomarkers. The 2023 Science paper (Singh et al.) found that blood taurine levels fall to roughly one-third by age 60 compared to young children, and proposed taurine deficiency as a potential driver of aging itself. |
How to Get More Taurine
Food First
As a dietitian, food is always my first recommendation. The best dietary sources of taurine are:
- Clams and scallops: Among the highest natural sources available
- Beef and dark poultry: Reliable everyday sources
- Tuna and salmon: Also rich in omega-3 fatty acids
- Dairy products: Contribute modest amounts
A note for plant-based eaters: Taurine is entirely absent from plant foods. Supplementation is worth discussing with your healthcare provider.
Supplementation
Clinical trials have studied a range of doses. Here is what the evidence supports:
- Studied dose range: Discuss with your healthcare provider.
- Safety profile: No toxic effects have been observed in human research at the dosages used in the studies (not specified in the article because supplements should be started under the guidance of a qualified healthcare practitioner). Drug-nutrient and drug-drug interactions should always be reviewed before starting a new supplement.
- Pairing tip: Some practitioners combine taurine with magnesium for synergistic support of insulin sensitivity and mood.
Important Caveats
It’s important to be transparent about the state of the evidence.
Much of the mechanistic research on taurine in the context of menopause specifically comes from animal models. The human RCT data is growing and promising, particularly for cardiometabolic outcomes, but large-scale, long-duration trials focused specifically on menopausal women are still limited.
Taurine is not a replacement for personalized evidence-based menopause management. It is best viewed as one potentially valuable nutritional component within a broader, individualized plan.
The Bottom Line
Taurine is a conditionally essential nutrient whose relevance during perimenopause and menopause is supported by a growing body of peer-reviewed evidence.
Declining estrogen directly impairs its synthesis (Ma et al., 2015), and human clinical trials have demonstrated meaningful benefits for metabolic and cardiovascular health (Tzang et al., 2024; Guan and Miao, 2020).
Emerging research points to a promising role in bone health and cellular aging, though large-scale human trials in menopausal women are still underway (Singh et al., 2023).
For women navigating this stage of life, ensuring adequate taurine through diet or supplementation is a conversation worth having with your healthcare provider.
| Concern | Taurine’s Role | Evidence Level |
| Insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome | Improves glucose, triglycerides, and blood pressure | Strong: multiple RCT meta-analyses |
| Cardiovascular disease | Supports heart and vascular function | Strong: multiple RCT meta-analyses |
| Bone density | May increase bone mass | Promising: animal models, human trials underway |
| Mood, sleep, and hot flushes | GABAergic calming effect | Plausible: mechanistic evidence, limited human trials |
| Oxidative stress and aging | May reduce the biological signals of cellular aging (cellular senescence markers such as p21) | Moderate: mostly animal models, human trial in post-menopausal women |
Ask your dietitian: Is your diet providing enough taurine? And could supplementation be right for you?
Book a nutrition consultation with Sam Thompson, RD, IFNCP, to learn more about how diet and supplementation can improve your perimenopause or menopause symptoms.
This article is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized nutrition advice or a therapeutic recommendation. Please consult a registered dietitian or your healthcare provider before making changes to your diet or supplement routine.
Key References
Singh P et al. Taurine deficiency as a driver of aging. Science. 2023;380(6649):eabn9257.
Abud GF et al. Taurine as a possible antiaging therapy: a controlled clinical trial in women ages 55 to 70. Nutrition. 2022;101.
Tzang CC et al. Taurine reduces the risk for metabolic syndrome. Nutrition and Diabetes. 2024;14(1):29.
Tzang CC et al. Cardiovascular benefits of taurine: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrition Journal. 2024;23(1):93.
Guan L, Miao P. Taurine supplementation on obesity, blood pressure and lipid profile. European Journal of Pharmacology. 2020;885:173533.
Roman-Garcia P et al. Vitamin B12-dependent taurine synthesis regulates bone mass. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2014;124(7):2988-3002.
Forzano I et al. (2023 review on taurine and cardiometabolic health). Nutrients. 2023.
Schaffer S, Kim HW. Effects and mechanisms of taurine as a therapeutic agent. Biomolecules and Therapeutics. 2018;26(3):225-241.
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