A New Study Links a Common Energy Drink Ingredient to Faster Cancer Cell Growth

It seems that energy drinks are everywhere. The U.S. energy drink market alone grew by 73% between 2018 to 2023 and was valued at a staggering $23.9 billion in 2024. However, a new study published in the journal Nature provides compelling evidence that, in certain circumstances, taurine, the common ingredient that gives those drinks their kick, could be fueling more than just your afternoon energy.

In May, researchers from the University of Rochester published their findings on taurine and its role in driving the growth of aggressive forms of leukemia.

The team behind the study, led by researchers at the University of Rochester, discovered that taurine doesn’t just get digested when you drink it or take it in supplements. Instead, certain cells in our bones, brain, heart, and muscles can also actively produce it (and it is often found in fish and meat as well). In individuals with leukemia, taurine appears to stimulate the multiplication of cancer cells.

To understand why, it helps to know a little about how blood cancers like leukemia flourish in the body. Leukemia, the National Cancer Institute explains, often starts with a small number of damaged stem cells in the bone marrow, which is also where your blood is produced. These cancer stem cells can grow uncontrollably and hinder the body from producing the red and white blood cells it needs. Furthermore, this new study shows that those leukemia cells may be nourished by the taurine your body already produces. 

The researchers discovered that as leukemia progresses, certain cells in human bone marrow begin producing more taurine, as the cancer cells absorb it through a specific protein known as TauT, which stands for taurine transporter. This taurine can assist the cancer cells in generating energy more efficiently, potentially causing them to grow at an accelerated rate.

However, in mouse models, when the researchers blocked either the production of taurine in the bone or the cancer cells’ ability to absorb it, the growth of leukemia slowed. The mice with leukemia lived longer, and their cancer spread less quickly, indicating a potential new pathway for treating this disease.

“We are very excited about these studies because they demonstrate that targeting uptake by myeloid leukemia cells may be a possible new avenue for treatment of these aggressive diseases,” Jeevisha Bajaj, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Genetics at the University of Rochester, and lead author of the study, shared. 

It's essential to understand that this study does not state or imply that energy drinks and supplements will cause cancer in any way. However, it found that when the mice with leukemia were given additional taurine, similar to what you would consume in energy drinks, the cancer progressed significantly faster.

It's also important to remember that taurine has been shown in early-stage studies to be potentially helpful for people undergoing chemotherapy, as it could help mitigate side effects like nausea. Additionally, other studies have also shown that taurine couldmight have the potential to combat gastric cancers in the stomach.

Still, the authors concluded, “Since taurine is a common ingredient in energy drinks and is often provided as a supplement to mitigate the side effects of chemotherapy, our work suggests that it may be of interest to carefully consider the benefits of supplemental taurine in leukemia patients.”