2023-06-08 23:33:38
- James Gallagher
- BBC science and medical reporter
Scientists say taurine, a nutrient found in meat and fish and sold as a dietary supplement, extends life and promotes health in different animals.
It is known that taurine levels decline with age, including in humans.
Experiments involving middle-aged animals showed that boosting taurine to levels equivalent to youthfulness extended life by more than 10 percent and improved body and brain health.
Researchers concluded that taurine may be the “elixir of life”, but scientists have not conducted tests to increase levels in humans.
So a team at Columbia University in New York recommended that people not buy taurine-laden taurine pills or energy drinks in the desire to prolong life.
However, animal research is the most recent cutting-edge study of ways to delay aging.
This study began by analyzing the molecules present in the blood of different species, to explore the differences between young and old.
“Taurine is one of the most (molecules) that are most severely diminished,” researcher Vijay Yadav said. The scientists found that levels in the elderly were 80 percent lower than levels in young people.
Taurine is almost non-existent in plants, so the element is either available from animal protein in the diet or the body synthesizes it. For the past 11 years, a team of scientists has sought to elucidate the role of taurine in aging.
Memory improvement
Scientists gave a daily dose to 14-month-old mice, an age equivalent to 45 years in humans.
The results, published in the journal Science, showed that male mice lived an average of 10 percent longer, females 12 percent longer, and both sexes appeared to be healthier.
“The mice given the taurine supplement appeared healthier, younger-looking, smaller in size, with increased rates of energy expenditure, increased bone density, improved memory, and a younger immune system,” Yadav said.
Scientists also monitored worms recording increases in lifespan by between 10 and 23 percent.
Scientists gave 15-year-old rhesus monkeys doses of taurine over a period of six months, which is a shorter period during which a difference in life expectancy can be detected, but the researchers once more monitored an improvement in body weight, bones, blood sugar levels and the immune system. .
Dr. Vijay Yadav holds a model of the chemical structure of taurine
“I think that’s a good fact. Taurine somehow counteracts the drivers of aging,” said Henning Wackerhag, one of the study’s co-authors at the Technical University of Munich.
However, many big questions remain unanswered:
- Would the same results be possible in the case of humans?
- Why do taurine levels decline in the first place, if it is so beneficial to health?
- How does taurine delay aging?
- Are there any risks due to taking taurine?
Scientists conducted a study of 12,000 people, and the results showed that people with more taurine in their blood had better overall health.
If the data from mice applies to humans, it would equate to an extra seven to eight years of life, they say.
However, it takes proper practical trials, in which some people are given the nutrient and others a placebo, to see if any benefit can be seen.
Differences in the human species may cause taurine to stop working, or there may be an evolutionary factor that causes levels to decline with age. Current evidence, including energy drinks that have been on the market for decades, suggests that taurine security.
healthy diet
With taurine in our diet, it would be difficult to eat the amounts used in the trials.
The equivalent dose for animal experiments, which is supposed to be expanded to apply to humans, ranges from 3 to 6 grams per day.
Yadav declined to disclose whether he chose to take the taurine supplements himself, fearing the inappropriate effect on people.
He told BBC News: “Let’s wait for the trials to be completed before we recommend that people go to the grocery store shelves to buy taurine.”
Instead of rushing to take supplements, Walkerhage said, there are actually proven ways to extend life.
He added, “If you want to live a long, healthy and happy life, you have to follow a healthy diet, and this is one of the most important things, and of course, you must exercise.”
power generation centres
The scientific report concluded that taurine plays a role in reducing cell aging, that is, cells in the body stop dividing, which is a hallmark of aging.
It also appears that the nutrient maintains the functioning of the mitochondria, the energy centers in the cells of the body.
However, scientists have not yet investigated how this happens.
Commenting on the results of the study, Joseph McGowan and Joseph Bauer, from the University of Pennsylvania, said: “Focusing only on increasing the proportions of taurine in the diet leads to poor food choices, because diets rich in plants are also linked to human health and prolong life.”
“Thus, like any intervention, taurine supplementation should be approached with caution with the goal of improving human health and prolonging life,” they added.
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