A new study has drawn links between cancer and a common ingredient in energy drinks and dietary supplements.

Men’s Journal reports that the new study, published in Nature, has linked the ingredient taurine to a possible acceleration of leukemia, which is a type of blood cancer.

Taurine is an naturally occurring amino acid, which is found in meat, fish and eggs, as well as being a key ingredient in some energy drinks, workout supplements and protein powders.

But according to researchers, the energy benefits of taurine may cause the acceleration of leukemia by fueling cancerous cells.

“In mouse models, taurine supplementation was shown to increase the likelihood of death by nearly threefold,” Men’s Journal reports. “The amino acid appeared to activate glycolysis—a process that breaks down glucose for energy—giving leukemia cells an energy boost that sped up disease progression.”

The report is particularly urgent as taurine can also be used as a treatment to help chemotherapy patients.

“Since taurine is a common ingredient in energy drinks and is often provided as a supplement to mitigate the side effects of chemotherapy, our work suggests that it may be of interest to carefully consider the benefits of supplemental taurine in leukemia patients,” the study reads.