[1] It is a major constituent of bile and can be found in the large intestine, and accounts for up to 0.1% of total human body weight.

[7] Taurine concentrations in land plants are low or undetectable, but up to 1000 nmol/g wet weight have been found in algae.

[17] A pathway for taurine biosynthesis from serine and sulfate is reported in microalgae,[9] developing chicken embryos,[18] and chick liver.

[25] Prematurely born infants are believed to lack the enzymes needed to convert cystathionine to cysteine, and may, therefore, become deficient in taurine.

Taurine is present in breast milk, and has been added to many infant formulas as a measure of prudence since the early 1980s.

[6][27][28][29] A 1999 assessment of European consumption of energy drinks found that taurine intake was 40–400 mg per day.

[22][clarification needed] Taurine is not regarded as an essential human dietary nutrient and has not been assigned recommended intake levels.

[4] High-quality clinical studies to determine possible effects of taurine in the body or following dietary supplementation are absent from the literature.

[6] Preliminary human studies on the possible effects of taurine supplementation have been inadequate due to low subject numbers, inconsistent designs, and variable doses.

[7] Other sources indicate that taurine is safe for supplemental intake in normal healthy adults at up to 3 grams per day.

Other effects of a diet lacking in this essential amino acid are dilated cardiomyopathy,[35] and reproductive failure in female cats[citation needed].

Under natural conditions, each blue tit nestling receive 1 mg of taurine per day from parents.

Supplementation has no effect on chickens raised under adequate lab conditions, but seems to help with growth under stresses such as heat and dense housing.

Juvenile fish are less efficient at taurine biosyntheis due to reduced cysteine sulfinate decarboxylase levels.