NCT07312409

Brief Summary

Millions have developed Long COVID (LC), and recent findings show an association between taurine deficiency (an amino acid) and symptoms in LC. Cost-effective and accessible interventions are needed to improve welfare and reduce healthcare costs. We will investigate the efficacy of 12-week taurine supplementation, on vascular function and the cardio/cerebrovascular responses to upright posture in LC. We will measure resting vascular function with EndoPAT and ultrasound, resting heart rate variability, and the blood pressure, heart rate, and brain blood flow response to 5 minutes of head-up tilt before and after 12-weeks of taurine supplementation in LC.

Trial Health

63
Monitor

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
30

participants targeted

Target at below P25 for not_applicable

Timeline
11mo left

Started Apr 2026

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
not yet recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress10%
Apr 2026Mar 2027

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

December 17, 2025

Completed
14 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

December 31, 2025

Completed
3 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

April 1, 2026

Completed
9 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

December 31, 2026

Expected
3 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

March 31, 2027

Last Updated

January 6, 2026

Status Verified

December 1, 2025

Enrollment Period

9 months

First QC Date

December 17, 2025

Last Update Submit

December 31, 2025

Conditions

Keywords

TaurineVascularLong COVIDOrthostaticCerebrovascularHeart rate variability

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

  • Orthostatic responses

    Measure cardiovascular and cerebrovascular responses to upright tilt using beat to beat blood pressure, ECG, and transcranial Doppler.

    Baseline and 12-week dietary supplementation.

  • Vascular function

    Flow-mediated dilation and EndoPAT response. These techniques concurrently measure endothelial function using the same protocol.

    Baseline and 12-week dietary supplementation.

Secondary Outcomes (1)

  • Heart rate variability

    Baseline and 12-week dietary supplementation.

Study Arms (1)

Taurine supplementation

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will take 12-wks of taurine supplementation (2 x 675mg twice daily).

Dietary Supplement: Taurine supplementation

Interventions

Taurine supplementationDIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Participants will take 12-wks taurine supplementation (2 x 675mg twice daily).

Taurine supplementation

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 65 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Participants will have had symptoms of Long COVID post-infection for at least 3 months

You may not qualify if:

  • Inability to undergo tilt table testing for 5 minutes
  • Inability to transport selves to York University from their homes
  • Inability to speak English, or provide a translator
  • Blood clotting disorders

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

York University

Toronto, Ontario, M3J1P3, Canada

Location

Related Publications (11)

  • Heart rate variability: standards of measurement, physiological interpretation and clinical use. Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology and the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology. Circulation. 1996 Mar 1;93(5):1043-65. No abstract available.

    PMID: 8598068BACKGROUND
  • Thijssen DH, Black MA, Pyke KE, Padilla J, Atkinson G, Harris RA, Parker B, Widlansky ME, Tschakovsky ME, Green DJ. Assessment of flow-mediated dilation in humans: a methodological and physiological guideline. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2011 Jan;300(1):H2-12. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00471.2010. Epub 2010 Oct 15.

    PMID: 20952670BACKGROUND
  • Corretti MC, Anderson TJ, Benjamin EJ, Celermajer D, Charbonneau F, Creager MA, Deanfield J, Drexler H, Gerhard-Herman M, Herrington D, Vallance P, Vita J, Vogel R; International Brachial Artery Reactivity Task Force. Guidelines for the ultrasound assessment of endothelial-dependent flow-mediated vasodilation of the brachial artery: a report of the International Brachial Artery Reactivity Task Force. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2002 Jan 16;39(2):257-65. doi: 10.1016/s0735-1097(01)01746-6.

    PMID: 11788217BACKGROUND
  • Wittes J, Brittain E. The role of internal pilot studies in increasing the efficiency of clinical trials. Stat Med. 1990 Jan-Feb;9(1-2):65-71; discussion 71-2. doi: 10.1002/sim.4780090113.

    PMID: 2345839BACKGROUND
  • Sun Q, Wang B, Li Y, Sun F, Li P, Xia W, Zhou X, Li Q, Wang X, Chen J, Zeng X, Zhao Z, He H, Liu D, Zhu Z. Taurine Supplementation Lowers Blood Pressure and Improves Vascular Function in Prehypertension: Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Hypertension. 2016 Mar;67(3):541-9. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.115.06624. Epub 2016 Jan 18.

    PMID: 26781281BACKGROUND
  • Khoramjoo M, Wang K, Srinivasan K, Gheblawi M, Mandal R, Rousseau S, Wishart D, Prasad V, Richer L, Cheung AM, Oudit GY. Plasma taurine level is linked to symptom burden and clinical outcomes in post-COVID condition. PLoS One. 2024 Jun 5;19(6):e0304522. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304522. eCollection 2024.

    PMID: 38837993BACKGROUND
  • Oikonomou E, Souvaliotis N, Lampsas S, Siasos G, Poulakou G, Theofilis P, Papaioannou TG, Haidich AB, Tsaousi G, Ntousopoulos V, Sakka V, Charalambous G, Rapti V, Raftopoulou S, Syrigos K, Tsioufis C, Tousoulis D, Vavuranakis M. Endothelial dysfunction in acute and long standing COVID-19: A prospective cohort study. Vascul Pharmacol. 2022 Jun;144:106975. doi: 10.1016/j.vph.2022.106975. Epub 2022 Mar 3.

    PMID: 35248780BACKGROUND
  • Ratchford SM, Stickford JL, Province VM, Stute N, Augenreich MA, Koontz LK, Bobo LK, Stickford ASL. Vascular alterations among young adults with SARS-CoV-2. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2021 Jan 1;320(1):H404-H410. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00897.2020. Epub 2020 Dec 11.

    PMID: 33306450BACKGROUND
  • Varga Z, Flammer AJ, Steiger P, Haberecker M, Andermatt R, Zinkernagel AS, Mehra MR, Schuepbach RA, Ruschitzka F, Moch H. Endothelial cell infection and endotheliitis in COVID-19. Lancet. 2020 May 2;395(10234):1417-1418. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30937-5. Epub 2020 Apr 21. No abstract available.

    PMID: 32325026BACKGROUND
  • Hoffmann M, Kleine-Weber H, Schroeder S, Kruger N, Herrler T, Erichsen S, Schiergens TS, Herrler G, Wu NH, Nitsche A, Muller MA, Drosten C, Pohlmann S. SARS-CoV-2 Cell Entry Depends on ACE2 and TMPRSS2 and Is Blocked by a Clinically Proven Protease Inhibitor. Cell. 2020 Apr 16;181(2):271-280.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.02.052. Epub 2020 Mar 5.

    PMID: 32142651BACKGROUND
  • Ballering AV, van Zon SKR, Olde Hartman TC, Rosmalen JGM; Lifelines Corona Research Initiative. Persistence of somatic symptoms after COVID-19 in the Netherlands: an observational cohort study. Lancet. 2022 Aug 6;400(10350):452-461. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01214-4.

    PMID: 35934007BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

COVID-19Pneumonia, ViralPneumoniaRespiratory Tract InfectionsInfectionsVirus DiseasesCoronavirus InfectionsCoronaviridae InfectionsNidovirales InfectionsRNA Virus InfectionsLung DiseasesRespiratory Tract DiseasesPost-Infectious DisordersChronic DiseaseDisease AttributesPathologic ProcessesPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Central Study Contacts

Heather Edgell, PhD

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
NA
Masking
NONE
Purpose
BASIC SCIENCE
Intervention Model
SINGLE GROUP
Model Details: All participants will receive the same treatment (i.e. taurine supplementation).
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

December 17, 2025

First Posted

December 31, 2025

Study Start

April 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 31, 2027

Last Updated

January 6, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

It is against REB protocol to provide individual data, particularly in small sample size studies.

Locations