Taurine helps to regulate the contraction and pumping action of the heart muscle. Studies indicate that taurine may
support heart muscle function while helping to reverse symptoms of congestive heart failure. In a double-blind,
randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled study, taurine supplementation in patients with congestive heart failure
was shown to result in significant improvement in the New York Heart Association functional class, pulmonary
crackles, and chest film abnormalities as compared to the placebo. Side ef ects did not occur in the taurine group
and the researchers concluded that these results indicate that addition of taurine to conventional therapy is safe
and ef ective for the treatment of patients with congestive heart failure.6 In a second study by J Azuma et al, 24
patients with congestive heart failure were given 2 gms of taurine supplementation per day for four to eight weeks.
Taurine supplementation resulted in objective signs of improvement in 19 of the 24 patients and, thirteen of fifteen
patients who were designated as New York Heart Association functional class I I or IV before receiving taurine
could be designated as class II after they completed the study, suggesting that taurine was capable of reversing
congestive heart disease to a very significant degree in these patients.7