Does Taurine Supplementation Improve Vascular Function and Orthostatic Responses in Long COVID?

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-weeks of taurine supplementation (self-administered), on vascular function and the cardio/cerebrovascular responses to upright posture. We will measure resting vascular function with an EndoPAT device, resting heart rate variability, and the blood pressure, heart rate, and brain blood flow responses to 5 minutes of head-up tilt before and after weeks of taurine supplementation in LC. We hypothesize that the 12 weeks of supplementation will improve both resting vascular function and the responses to upright tilt. In turn, we hypothesize that symptoms will also improve (as measured by questionnaires).

Inclusion Criteria: * Participants will have had symptoms of Long COVID post-infection for at least 3 months Exclusion Criteria: * 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