Taurine and male fertility

Taurine is an amino acid which functions in the electrically active tissues of the brain and heart, helping to stabilize cell membranes. It also functions in the gallbladder, eyes and blood vessels.

A 2023 review has shown that taurine can be a game changer in male fertility. In Australia, more than a third of infertility cases are attributed to the male partner. With infertility and pregnancy loss on the rise, and as the age of parents conceiving is increasing, it is sensible to consider the nutritional status of fathers-to-be.

In couples experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss, downregulation of taurine transporters (TauT) and a deficiency of taurine has been observed. In men, this leads to impaired sperm morphology that can affect early embryo development.

Taurine is ten times higher in semen than in the blood. Taurine is necessary to maintain sperm physiological functions, including sperm motility, sperm hyperactivation (a change in motility pattern prior to fertilization) and sperm’s ability to penetrate the oocyte’s (ovarian egg) protective layer and fertilize it.

In addition, taurine increases sperm’s fertilising ability by reducing cellular potassium influx into the fallopian tube.

Taurine also plays an important role in the management of increasing modern-day fertility pressures. In diabetic patients, taurine reduces testicular tissue damage, DNA damage, by reducing hyperglycaemia and oxidative stress, as well as reducing inflammation. It can also support male patients suffering erectile dysfunction by regulating androgens through the hypothalamus-pituitary-testis axis.

With environmental toxicity on the rise, taurine reduces testicular tissue damage induced by BPA, formaldehyde or heavy metals such as cadmium and aluminium, by reducing oxidative stress and inflammatory markers and inhibiting testicular tissue apoptosis (cell death).