Both creatine and taurine are safe supplements when taken in isolation, and there’s no current evidence to suggest that it’s harmful to take creatine and taurine together. Some pre workout supplements contain both creatine and taurine which suggests that you can mix them together safely.
In this article, we look at the benefits of creatine and taurine and see if there are any further benefits of mixing these 2 compounds.
What Is Creatine?
Creatine is a natural organic acid that’s made in the body to help provide energy to cells, particularly muscle cells.
It’s naturally found in red meat and fish, and some people take creatine supplements to improve their performance.
Benefits of Creatine
Creatine Improves Athletic Performance
There are lots of studies which demonstrate creatine’s ability to improve physical performance.
In one of these studies, 8 ice-hockey players supplemented with creatine and 8 ice-hockey players took a placebo.
The results showed that those who took creatine had significantly more power in their sprinting.
Creatine Helps Increase Muscle Mass
A review of creatine supplementation concluded that creatine increases muscle hypertrophy (i.e. muscle growth) in all healthy young populations.
Some of the studies even showed that creatine increases muscle growth in untrained populations, suggesting that creatine was the direct cause of increased muscle mass.
Creatine Improves Cognitive Function
One of the lesser-known benefits of creatine is its ability to improve mental function.
In a study of older people, creatine improved the subjects’ memory and recall ability.
Creatine Helps Prevent Fatigue
Another physical benefit of creatine is that it can help reduce muscular fatigue.
For example, in one study, 15 people took either a placebo or 20g of creatine per day for 5 days before performing a cycle test.
Interestingly, those who took creatine had delayed onset of fatigue during the test.
What Is Taurine?
Taurine is an amino acid that’s abundant in your eyes, heart, brain, and muscles.
While your body can produce it naturally, it’s found in some foods and many people take taurine supplements to increase their taurine intake.
Benefits of Taurine
Taurine May Lower Blood Pressure
Many people take taurine supplements to regulate their blood pressure, and for good reason.
In a study of people with high blood pressure, some of the subjects took 1600mg of taurine per day for 12 weeks and the other subjects took a placebo.
Interestingly, those who took taurine had a reduction of systolic blood pressure by 7.2 mmHg and a reduction of diastolic blood pressure by 4.7 mmHg compared with the placebo takers.
Taurine May Boost Physical Performance
Another reason why people take taurine is to delay muscle fatigue.
A meta-analysis of 19 studies looked at the effects of taurine on physical performance and found multiple benefits, such as:
- Delayed muscle fatigue
- Reduced muscle damage
- Improved recovery times
- Improved power and strength
However, it was noted that taurine’s effect was small and inconsistent, so more research is needed in this area.
Taurine May Improve Eye Health
One of the lesser-known benefits of taurine is its ability to improve eye health.
This makes sense since taurine is found in abundance in your eyes.
Taurine seems to improve eye health thanks to its antioxidant effects, which help reduce oxidative stress which is associated with age-related macular degeneration.
Are There Any Benefits of Taking Creatine And Taurine Together?
There are very few studies on taking creatine and taurine together.
One study suggests that a creatine and taurine mixture can help alleviate depressive-like behaviour.
However, the study was performed on mice, so whether this effect applies humans is yet to be proven.
When Is The Best Time To Take Creatine And Taurine Together?
Since creatine and taurine are often included together in pre workout supplements, it would make sense that it’s best to take these 2 before working out.
This isn’t always the case though because it depends on your fitness goals.
If your goal is to gain as much muscle as possible, you should probably take them after working out as research suggests that creatine is best taken after exercise for muscle gain.
Whereas if you want to reduce muscular fatigue, then it would make sense taking them before your gym session.
Closing Thoughts
In summary:
- There are no studies which suggest that it’s unsafe to take creatine and taurine together.
- There’s limited evidence that mixing creatine and taurine provides additional benefits than taking them in isolation.
- Many people unknowingly take creatine and taurine together in pre workout supplements.
That’s all for this article, but can you take creatine with C4 pre workout?
Hope this helped!
Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8949037/#B14-nutrients-14-01255
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10573659/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18039377/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17828627/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26781281/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8152067/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-68424-1
I’ve been in the fitness and strength training industry for nearly a decade. In that time, I’ve gained 30 pounds of muscle, written hundreds of articles, and reviewed dozens of fitness supplements. As for my educational background, I’m a currently studying for my Active IQ Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training.