Creatine

Taurine vs Creatine: Differences, Benefits and Taking Them Together

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Taurine vs creatine: creatine helps cells recycle ATP for repeated short high-intensity bursts at 3 to 5 g a day; taurine helps muscle fibers handle calcium and is studied in endurance tests at 1 to 6 g.

Taurine and creatine both turn up in exercise products, but they do different jobs. Creatine helps your cells recycle ATP for short, hard efforts and is used at 3 to 5 g a day, while taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid that has often been studied in endurance tests at 1 to 6 g. So the real question is which job you need, and you can use both at the amounts studied for each.

Key Takeaways

  • Creatine helps your cells make ATP and supports performance during repeated short bursts of high-intensity activity; your liver and kidneys make about 1 g a day (NIH Office of Dietary Supplements).
  • Taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid that is especially abundant in skeletal muscle, where it helps muscle fibers handle calcium (Kurtz et al., 2021).
  • In a meta-analysis of 10 studies, taurine at 1 to 6 g gave a small to moderate improvement in endurance performance (Waldron et al., 2018).
  • Creatine is relatively well tolerated at 3 to 5 g a day (Antonio et al., 2021), and a risk assessment set an observed safe level of 3 g a day of taurine for healthy adults (Shao and Hathcock, 2008).
  • Neither one contains caffeine, though energy drinks often pair taurine with caffeine.
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5 g of creatine monohydrate in every scoop, the most studied form of creatine. Coming soon: join the list to hear when it launches.

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Taurine vs Creatine at a Glance

Both are made in your body and stored in muscle, but they do different things. Creatine facts below come from the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements and taurine facts from a 2021 review (Kurtz et al., 2021):

Creatine Taurine
What it is A compound made from the amino acids glycine, arginine and methionine A sulfur-containing amino acid that can be made from cysteine
Made in the body About 1 g a day, by the liver and kidneys Yes, through cysteine metabolism
Food sources Beef, pork and salmon, about 2 g per pound Animal proteins are the richest sources
Where it is stored Almost all in skeletal and heart muscle Especially abundant in skeletal muscle
Main job Helps cells recycle ATP, the molecule they use for energy Helps muscle fibers handle calcium
Studied most for Repeated short bursts of high-intensity activity Endurance tests such as time to exhaustion
Amounts studied 3 to 5 g a day 1 to 6 g, often 1 to 3 g taken 1 to 3 hours before activity
Timing Builds up in muscle with daily use over a few weeks Blood levels peak about 1 hour after a dose
Caffeine None None on its own; energy drinks often add it

What Creatine Does

Your liver and kidneys make about 1 g a day from glycine, arginine and methionine, and you get more from foods such as beef, pork and salmon. Almost all of it is stored in skeletal and heart muscle, where it helps generate ATP, particularly for short efforts. Taken as a supplement, creatine supports performance during repeated short bursts of high-intensity, intermittent activity, such as sprints and interval training (NIH Office of Dietary Supplements).

Creatine supplements raise the amount of creatine inside muscle, which may help explain better high-intensity exercise performance, and short and long term use is safe and well tolerated in healthy people (Kreider et al., 2017).

Your brain uses ATP too, and a systematic review of six randomized trials in 281 healthy people found that creatine may support short-term memory and reasoning, with results in other areas of thinking that differed between studies (Avgerinos et al., 2018). For the full picture, see our creatine benefits guide and our creatine ingredient page.

What Taurine Does

Taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid that your body can make from cysteine. It is especially abundant in skeletal muscle and is found in high amounts in heart mitochondria. In muscle, taurine helps fibers handle calcium, which muscles rely on to contract, and it has been proposed to act as an antioxidant during exercise. After a dose, blood levels generally peak about 1 hour later (Kurtz et al., 2021).

Much of the taurine exercise research looks at endurance. A meta-analysis pooled 10 studies that gave 1 to 6 g, as a single dose or for up to 2 weeks, and found a small to moderate improvement in endurance performance. A single dose worked about as well as several days of use, and the size of the dose did not change the effect within that range (Waldron et al., 2018).

A 2021 review of 19 studies also reported improvements in measures such as 3 to 4 km time trials, short high-intensity efforts, markers of muscle damage and recovery. In one, 8 trained middle-distance runners took 1 g of taurine 2 hours before a 3 km time trial, and their performance improved. The authors suggested about 1 to 3 g a day, taken 1 to 3 hours before activity, and noted that timing and the type of exercise test may shape the results (Kurtz et al., 2021).

Taurine or Creatine: Which Fits Your Goal?

The choice comes down to what you want support with:

Your goal Better studied option Why
Sprints, intervals and repeated hard efforts Creatine Supports performance in repeated short bursts of high-intensity activity
Longer steady efforts such as running or cycling Taurine Many of its exercise trials measured endurance and time to exhaustion
An everyday routine for energy at the cell level Creatine Taken daily, it builds up over a few weeks; it is also studied for memory
Something to take before a single session Taurine In trials, a single dose 1 to 3 hours before exercise worked about as well as several days of use

For steady daily energy without an energy drink, our guide to energy drink alternatives walks through gentler options, and our cellular energy and mitochondrial health page explains how ATP fits into the bigger picture.

Taking Taurine and Creatine Together

You can use both. Most studies tested each one on its own, so keep each within the amounts research has used.

  • Creatine: 3 to 5 g every day. Consistency matters more than timing. A loading phase of 20 g a day, split into four 5 g portions, for 5 to 7 days is optional (NIH Office of Dietary Supplements). Our creatine dosage guide covers the amounts by goal.
  • Taurine: about 1 to 3 g. Studies often gave it 1 to 3 hours before activity. The observed safe level for healthy adults is 3 g a day (Shao and Hathcock, 2008).
  • Watch the extras. Typical energy drinks provide about 1 to 2 g of taurine along with caffeine (Kurtz et al., 2021). If you pair creatine with coffee instead, see creatine and caffeine.

Safety and Side Effects

Creatine

Creatine is relatively well tolerated, especially at 3 to 5 g a day (Antonio et al., 2021). The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements notes that use for several years is safe, and that creatine often adds a little body weight because it pulls water into muscle; one study recorded a 1 to 2 kg rise in total body weight over a month (NIH Office of Dietary Supplements). Our guides to creatine water retention and creatine side effects go into more detail. Talk to your doctor first if you have kidney disease, take medicines that affect the kidneys, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Taurine

A risk assessment of human studies found no consistent pattern of side effects from taurine and proposed an observed safe level of 3 g a day for healthy adults. Higher amounts have been tested without side effects, but the authors noted there is less long-term data at those levels (Shao and Hathcock, 2008). With energy drinks, the caffeine is the bigger thing to watch. Check with your doctor before adding taurine if you take prescription medicine or are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Where Our Products Fit

Our Creatine Monohydrate gives 5 g of creatine monohydrate in every scoop, and each 150 g jar holds 30 scoops. It is coming soon: join the list on the product page to hear when it launches. Directions: mix 1 scoop (5 g) daily, or as directed on the label, stirred into water, juice or a smoothie. Made with third-party tested ingredients.

If you want daily energy support you can use today, our Mushroom Cacao is a mushroom hot chocolate with 500 mg each of lion's mane and cordyceps 8:1 fruiting body extracts per serving, in a cocoa and cacao base. Cordyceps supports energy and endurance, and cocoa's theobromine brings a gentler lift than coffee, though cocoa does contain a small amount of natural caffeine. Stir one rounded teaspoon (5 g) into 6 to 8 oz of hot water or warm milk.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is taurine better than creatine?

Neither is better overall, because they do different jobs. Creatine helps cells recycle ATP and supports performance in repeated short bursts of high-intensity activity, such as sprints and intervals. Taurine has often been studied in endurance tests, where a meta-analysis of 10 studies found a small to moderate improvement. Choose by the kind of exercise you do, or use both.

Can you take taurine and creatine together?

Yes. They work in different ways. Keep each within the amounts research has used: 3 to 5 g of creatine every day and about 1 to 3 g of taurine, with 3 g a day as the observed safe level for healthy adults. Talk to your doctor first if you have kidney disease or take prescription medicine.

Taurine or creatine for energy?

It depends on the kind of energy you mean. Creatine supports the short-burst energy your muscles use for hard efforts, and it builds up with daily use over a few weeks. Taurine has been studied for endurance, often as a single dose taken 1 to 3 hours before exercise. Neither is a stimulant, so neither feels like a cup of coffee.

Does taurine have caffeine?

No. Taurine is an amino acid and contains no caffeine. It is often linked with caffeine because energy drinks commonly contain both, with typical drinks providing about 1 to 2 g of taurine. Check the label for caffeine content if you are sensitive to it or drink it late in the day.

How much taurine and creatine should I take?

Creatine is most often used at 3 to 5 g a day, sometimes after an optional 5 to 7 day loading phase of 20 g a day split into four portions. Taurine trials used 1 to 6 g, and a 2021 review suggested about 1 to 3 g a day. A risk assessment set 3 g a day of taurine as the observed safe level for healthy adults.

When should I take taurine and creatine?

For creatine, timing matters less than taking it every day, so choose a time that is easy to remember. For taurine, studies often gave it 1 to 3 hours before activity, since blood levels peak about 1 hour after a dose. If you use both before a workout, you can take them together.

Sources

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This content is for education and is not medical advice. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Talk with a healthcare provider before starting a new supplement if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication.

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About the author

Founder and CEO, Synchronicity Health

George Given is the founder and CEO of Synchronicity Health, which he started in 2022. He has worked in supplement formulation and manufacturing since 2017 and has led product formulation as a head formulator since 2019. At Synchronicity he builds every formula around a short, fully disclosed label that lists the amount of every ingredient, and he works only with third-party tested ingredients. Under his direction, most of Synchronicity's sprays were rebuilt around a single active ingredient in alkaline water, and its capsules use vegan capsules with no fillers, no flow agents and no magnesium stearate. He writes about the research behind the ingredients Synchronicity uses, with a focus on what the studies actually measured.

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