Taurine Found in Energy Drinks May Increase Blood Cancer Risks: Study

Research shows that leukemia cells use taurine to burn sugar faster, potentially accelerating cancer growth.

A new study suggests that taurine, a common ingredient in energy drinks and some chemotherapy supplements, may unintentionally help leukemia grow and spread.

In findings published in the journal Nature on May 14, researchers indicate that taurine allows leukemia cells to break down sugar more efficiently, providing extra fuel for the cancer to multiply. This discovery raises concerns about the safety of taurine in patients undergoing treatment for blood cancers like leukemia.

Taurine is a naturally occurring amino acid that helps the body regulate energy levels, support nerve function, and balance minerals like calcium and potassium. Due to its role in boosting energy, taurine is often added to energy drinks like Monster Energy, Red Bull and Rockstar. It has also sometimes been recommended to chemotherapy patients to help reduce side effects like fatigue or nausea.

While taurine has previously been linked to cardiovascular problems from energy drink consumption, this study is one of the first to directly investigate how taurine may contribute to the growth and spread of blood cancers like leukemia.

In the new study, scientists from the University of Rochester Medical Center analyzed how leukemia stem cells interact with taurine in the bone marrow. 

Using patient-derived leukemia cells and mouse models, the researchers found that taurine fuels cancer growth by increasing sugar metabolism, or glycolysis, giving leukemia cells more energy to survive, multiply, and spread.

Lead author Dr. Sonali Sharma explained that bone cells in the marrow actually produce taurine, and this taurine is absorbed by nearby leukemia cells through a transporter protein called TAUT (SLC6A6). Once inside, taurine triggers a chain reaction that activates a cell growth pathway called mTOR, which in turn boosts sugar breakdown and energy production. This extra energy allows leukemia to progress more aggressively.

The researchers found that blocking taurine production or stopping leukemia cells from absorbing it slowed disease progression and improved survival in mice. In contrast, adding taurine supplements made leukemia worse.

As a result of these findings, the team concluded that the recommended use of taurine among chemotherapy patients should perhaps be reconsidered.

“(O)ur data suggest that taurine supplements can accelerate myeloid leukaemia progression in mouse models,” Sharma said. “As taurine is a common ingredient in energy drinks, and is often provided as a supplement to mitigate the side-effects of chemotherapy, our work suggests that it may be of interest to carefully consider the benefits of supplemental taurine in patients with leukaemia.”

Negative Effects of Taurine in Energy Drinks

Sharma’s research is not the first health concern that has been linked to the use of taurine in energy drinks like Monster Energy, Red Bull and others.

A study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in 2013, showed that adults who consume energy drinks have significantly increased heart contraction rates after drinking the beverages.

Other studies have shown that the side effects of energy drinks diminish blood vessel size after only one beverage, while further research linked energy drink problems to more than 1,675 poison control center reports in 2015 alone.

These kinds of concerns have linked energy drinks to multiple deaths and dozens of other adverse events throughout the 21st century.

As a result of these events and others, multiple energy drink lawsuits have been filed in recent years against the makers of these products, such as Monster Energy, Red Bull, Rockstar, Redline and others.