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Co-founder Alan Smith finishing the Rocky Mountain Slam - Bear 100 - Fish Haven, Idaho
Taurine is an ingredient we’re sure you have heard of. We’re just not sure you’ve heard how beneficial it can be for an endurance athlete like yourself. There are a few reasons we include it in VFuel Endurance Gel.
Taurine is a nonessential amino acid, meaning it is manufactured from other amino acids in the liver. As with any amino acid that is used during prolonged physical activity, levels get depleted. So why not throw every amino acid into the gel if they all get depleted? Well, some get depleted quicker than others and some are a bit more important to the endurance athlete than others. Here are a few of the benefits we, as endurance athletes, can get from taurine:
- Anti-oxidant: Taurine has the ability to scavenge a strange oxidizer species called hypochlorite. When taurine levels are depleted it will lead to a nitric oxide shortage. This, in turn, will lead to decreased blood flow resulting in lower performance and less endurance.
- Heart Function: You cardiovascular system benefits greatly from the presence of taurine (or from the lack of a taurine deficiency). Taurine helps to move nutrients such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium through your hearts cells to maintain and improve its functioning.
- Brain Function: Taurine has been proven effective with improving anxiety, depression, and poor brain function. This comes into play during longer events or intense blocks of training. Morale and proper brain function play a big role in long events such as 100 mile runs or Iron Man distance triathlons. When fatigue and sleep deprivation set in, Taurine, in conjunction with the MCT oil, helps VFuel to keep you mind sharp and on point…
As you can see, there are great benefits to having taurine in VFuel. However, some folks are still concerned about the side effects and origin of taurine. In a 2009 press release from the European Food Safety Authority it was confirmed that levels of taurine as high as 500mg/pound of body weight per day will not cause you harm. There is nowhere near that amount of taurine in even 100 packets of VFuel. A 100 lb. athlete would have to consume about 380 packets of VFuel to get to the 500mg/lb. of body weight. It is a very safe supplement to take.
People are also concerned about it’s origin as it is rumored that all taurine is extracted from red meat. This is where taurine was discovered, but virtually all taurine is now synthetic and no animals are harmed, even in the slightest, in its creation.
As always, we encourage you to dig into these ingredients yourself! Do the research and you’ll see how well thought out each ingredient is and how each has a very specific and necessary purpose in helping you to fuel your best.
You can read more about our Endurance Formula here: Ingredients
Tags: endurance, energy gel, supplement, taurine, vfuel