The Effect of Short-Term Taurine Supplementation on Neuromuscular Fatigue and Blood Lactate Levels in High Intensity Interval Exercise

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of short-term taurine amino acid supplementation on neuromuscular fatigue and lactate accumulation after high intensity interval exercise. In this quasi-experimental study, the population consisted of physical education students. 20 male active volunteers (mean age, 22.12±1.25 years, height 174.59±4.63 cm, weight 71.52± 8.97 kg, BMI 23.40±2.19 kg/m2 and body fat percentage 11.81±1.21) in supplementation or placebo groups who were randomly selected participated in 2 sessions of pretest and posttest of maximal interval exercise. Taurine supplementation and placebo (starch) capsules (1 gram) were consumed by experimental and control groups, 5 capsules daily for 2 weeks. After the supplementation period, posttest was immediately conducted. To determine the differences between variables, ANOVA with the between-group and independent t test were used. The results showed that short-term taurine amino acid supplementation decreased neuromuscular fatigue (P=0.002) and blood lactate accumulation (P=0.000) following maximal interval exercise. Therefore, it can be reported that this supplement can be used to improve athletic performance in sprint interval activities.