Taurine is a natural substance in your body that helps keep your cells from swelling or shrinking too much, especially when your muscles, heart, or brain are under stress.

Taurine helps cells keep their shape and balance when other substances like creatine make the environment around them tricky — it’s like a tiny internal helper that keeps water and salts in check.

Marine molluscs, like clams and snails, rely on a substance called taurine to help their cells stay the right size when the saltiness of the water around them changes — kind of like how a sponge adjusts to wet or dry conditions without falling apart.