Taurine, key to a longer and healthier life, according to a study in mice and monkeys

The deficit of taurinea nutrient produced in the body and present in many foodcan enhance the agingaccording to a study in worms, mice and monkeys that found that the intake of supplements of this amino acid could promote a longer and healthier life.

The work, published in Science, is led by researchers at Columbia University and, although important, much research remains to translate it to humans. “Only a randomized clinical trial in people will determine if taurine really has any health benefits,” confirms Vijay Yadav, director of the study.

This researcher discovered the role of taurine in bone formation during his previous research on osteoporosis. At the same time, other scientists found that its levels were related to immune function, obesity and the nervous system.

“We realized that if taurine regulates all these processes that decline with age, then perhaps its levels in the bloodstream affect general health and life expectancy.” says Yadav.

Taurine – a semi-essential micronutrient – ​​is one of the most abundant amino acids in animals. It is found naturally in meat, fish or dairy products and is also available as a dietary supplement.

One of the things the team looked at was taurine levels in the bloodstreams of mice, monkeys, and people, and found that its abundance declines substantially with age. In humans, taurine levels in 60-year-olds were only a third of those found in 5-year-olds.

The researchers began their experiments with about 250 14-month-old (about 45 years in human terms) female and male mice. Each day, they fed half a bolus of taurine or control solution, reports a statement from Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

The team found that taurine increased average lifespan by 12% in females and 10% in males. That meant three to four more months, equivalent to about seven or eight human years.

To find out how it affected health, the researchers measured various parameters in mice and found that at 2 years (60 in human years) the animals supplemented for one year were healthier in almost every way than their untreated counterparts.

They found that taurine suppressed age-associated weight gain in female mice (even with menopause), increased energy expenditure, increased bone mass, and improved muscle endurance and strength, among other benefits.

At the cellular level, it improved functions that typically decline with age. For example, the supplement reduced the number of “zombie cells” (old cells that should die but persist and release harmful substances), increased the number of stem cells present in some tissues, and decreased DNA damage.

Similar effects were seen in middle-aged rhesus monkeys treated for six months with taurine.

Researchers don’t yet know if these supplements will improve health or increase longevity in humans, but two experiments suggest it has potential.

In the first, they analyzed the relationship between taurine levels and some 50 health parameters in 12,000 European adults over 60 years of age.

In general, those with higher taurine levels were healthier, with fewer cases of type 2 diabetes, lower levels of obesity, lower hypertension and lower levels of inflammation.

“These are associations that do not establish causality”, admits Yadav, “But the results are consistent with the possibility that taurine deficiency contributes to human aging.”

The second study tested whether taurine would respond to exercise. Its levels were measured before and after a variety of male athletes and sedentary individuals finished a cycling workout, and a significant increase in the amino acid was seen in all.

This studio “suggests that taurine could be an elixir of life (…) that helps us live longer and healthier”concludes Yadav, who insists that clinical trials in humans are still necessary.

In an opinion piece accompanying this study, Joseph McGaunn and Joseph A. Baur of the University of Pennsylvania recall that, as with any intervention, taurine supplementation to improve human health and longevity should be approached with caution.

“The potential for risks still warrants consideration, because long-term human safety trials are lacking and the equivalent doses used in this study would be very high in people.”

Source: EFE