Happy Wednesday!
I received a great question from a reader this week. This is a very frequently asked question, and I figured it would be worth writing an email about today (remember you can always submit your questions here).
Hi Hunter, I just started reta and my heart rate is consistently up by 5-10 bpm. Is this normal, or is reta just not for me?
Yes, it's very normal. And there's a simple fix that I've been recommending for years.
Taurine.
Let’s dive deep into how taurine helps.
What is Taurine?
Taurine is an amino acid your body already makes.
You also get it from meat, fish, and dairy. It shows up in high concentrations in your heart, brain, and skeletal muscle.
Your heart actually contains more taurine than any other amino acid. That alone should tell you something about how important it is.
Taurine and Heart Rate
Taurine calms down the sympathetic nervous system.
That's your fight-or-flight side, the one cranking your heart rate up when you're stressed, dieting hard, or running peptides.
It does this in a few ways.
First, it blunts the effects of catecholamines such as adrenaline and noradrenaline.
Second, it helps regulate calcium handling inside your heart muscle cells, which keeps the beat steady.
Third, it supports nitric oxide production in the lining of your blood vessels, which helps everything relax.
The end result is a calmer heart that doesn't have to work as hard.
Data
A 2024 meta-analysis in Nutrition Journal pooled data from 20 randomized controlled trials involving 808 participants.
Taurine reduced resting heart rate by an average of 3.6 bpm.
It also dropped systolic blood pressure by about 4 mmHg and improved left ventricular ejection fraction by nearly 5% in heart failure patients.
The effect held in healthy people as well as in sick ones.
Doses across the studies ranged from 1.5 to 6 grams per day.
The human RCT data is consistent. Oral taurine lowers heart rate over time.
Taurine with Peptides
GLP-1s like tirzepatide and retatrutide are notorious for bumping up resting heart rate.
Most people see a 5-10 bpm increase.
The mechanism isn't fully nailed down, but it likely involves sympathetic activation and the rapid changes in body composition and fluid balance.
Taurine directly counters that. It's the perfect pairing.
I tell clients to start at 2 grams per day and titrate up to 5 grams if needed. Some people may even need to go up to 10 grams per day.
Split it into two doses, morning and evening. Powder is cheaper than capsules and tastes mostly neutral in water.
I've seen heart rates drop back to baseline within two to three weeks of consistent use.
I’ve also rarely seen any negative reactions at all to taurine.
Additionally, it also helps with sleep quality, muscle cramps, and recovery, which is a nice bonus when you're already running peptides.
Final Thoughts
If you’re reading this, I know you probably love peptides as much as I do.
They've changed what's possible in body composition, recovery, and longevity.
Nonetheless, the basics still matter. Magnesium, creatine, taurine, omega-3s, and vitamin D.
These boring supplements have decades of data behind them, and they are affordable for most people.
Don't get so caught up in the new shiny molecule that you skip the foundation.
The folks getting the best results are stacking the basics underneath their peptide protocols, not replacing them.
Taurine is one of those quiet workhorses.
Cheap, safe, well-studied, and actually does what it says.
Add it to your stack. Your heart will thank you!
Best,
Hunter
P.S. I just get my taurine off Amazon. You can see the brand I get in my Amazon storefront here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/hunterwilliams/list/WE16G2223BXA
Sources