Most studies of taurine on athletic performance have been conducted at acute and high doses in rodents. These doses and duration of administration are not reasonable for normal human life. Thus, it is not valid to extrapolate these animal results to people. Dose and duration that mimic human use of taurine in normal life can help to clarify the taurine effect in humans. This study investigated whether long-term, low-dose taurine (2% taurine drinking water for 25 weeks), similar to normal taurine intake in humans, can affect endurance exercise and body composition. Twenty ICR mice were divided into two groups. The control group received normal drinking water, and the taurine treated group received 2% taurine drinking water for 25 weeks. The mice were evaluated for body composition by mass and for physical strength by treadmill exhaustion and suspension tests. The supply of chronic 2% taurine drinking water has a slight effect on weight gain. In body composition analysis, a slight increase in body weight was due to an increase in muscle mass, not an increase in body fat. However, taurine ingestion did not increase endurance exercise. In conclusion, these results indirectly suggest that acute, high-dose taurine treatment is better than long-term, low-dose treatment to increase athletic performance.
Keywords: Athletic performance; Body composition; Four-limb hanging test; Treadmill test.