Taurine - For Quality Longevity

In a study from Japan, higher levels of dietary taurine was identified as the main factor attributing to the longer lifespan of the of the Japanese people.(1) Since then research has validated that taurine plays a major role in not only longevity, but quality longevity. Taurine plays a crucial role in most every system in the body and is considered an essential supplement for healthy aging.

• Longevity - Taurine has been shown in studies of human populations (Japanese) as well as in research animals to extend longevity via decreased cellular senescence. An important longevity mechanism by taurine is by improving cellular protein folding, thereby stabilizing cellular protein homeostasis. (2,3) Loss of protein homeostasis (proteostasis) is considered a key characteristic of aging and is one of the earliest molecular changes seen in aging.(4)
• Resistance to Injury.  Taurine provides protection against injury due to stress and disease. (2)
• Brain Neurogenesis. In the brain, taurine stimulates the generation of new neurons in the hippocampus memory center(6). Furthermore, research indicates an enhanced duration of synaptic transmission.(7)
• Mitochondria Function.   Taurine plays a significant role in mitochondrial function.and is essential to the mitochondrial matrix.(8)  In taurine deficient cells (importantly heart cells) mitochondria become severely damaged. Protein homeostasis and autophagy becomes dysfunctional. As a result, mitochondrial ATP production is reduced and oxidative stress (superoxide radicals) are increased.
• Improves Testicular Function.  Taurine improves testicular function in aged lab animals and suppresses deterioration.(5)
• Diabetes Health in Prevention and Therapeutic Effects. Diabetes is a condition which is characterized by high levels of oxidative stress, including chronic inflammation, which is responsible for resulting pathologies. Taurine has been shown to be effective in modifying the effects of these pathologies in both experimental and human studies.(10)  Taurine is also a regulator of glucose homeostasis and maintenance of the beta cells of the pancreas, preserving pancreatic function. (11) Supplementation of taurine to young type 1 diabetic men reversed arterial stiffness, and endothelium dysfunction, after only two weeks of 1.5 gm daily intake. (12)
• Vascular and heart - Most importantly, taurine strengthens the heart muscle and contraction ability.In taurine deficient hearts, there is weakening and resulting cardiomyopathy, losing function (leading to heart failure).(15) Furthermore, taurine insufficiency is marked by systolic and diastolic defects(9),. Since taurine is so important for heart function, researchers suggest that stronger heart function may be a key component of taurine;s ability to increase longevity.(10) In addition to the heart, taurine supports the suppression of the development of atherosclerosis.(11)
• Retinal (eye) health and function.  Taurine is the most abundant amino acid in the retina and plays the most significant role, Taurine is believed to be involved in the prevention of diseases involved with retinal degeneration. Furthermore, taurine supports survival of retinal ganglion (loss of ganglion is involved in the progression of glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy). (16,17.18) Cone photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells are most susceptible to taurine deficiency.(19)
• Exercise. Longer and stronger. Taurine enables muscles to contract harder and stronger - providing more effective workouts as well as an increased edge in athletic competition. Normal levels of taurine are required for normal muscle function. (20,21) According to the study, taurine levels "above endogenous levels increases twitch and subtetanic and specific force in rat fast-twitch skeletal muscle". (21) Fast twitch muscle is the muscle involved in power activity, the exercise movements that are power driven (plyometrics, sprinting, heavy weight lifting). Cyclists training sessions have been longer with less fatigue, in part due to decreased oxidative stress and lactic acid.(22)
• Elite athletes have both strong skeletal and cardiac muscle. Taurine increases muscle power (contraction) in both skeletal and cardiac muscle. (23) Stronger cardiac functionality increases oxygenation of skeletal muscle thus enabling stronger exercise performance (aerobic and anaerobic). In endurance exercises, taurine reduced muscle fatigue allowing for longer exercise. (24) Also reduces muscle inflammation and cellular damage during heavy exercise.(25)

Normal dietary intake of taurine is quite low, normally ranging between 40mg - 400mg. Clinical studies indicate the need for up to 3,000mg (or more) to make significant health improvements and promote longevity.

LONGEVITY NATURALLY (3000 mg of Taurine per serving)

VISION VITALITY (800 mg of Taurine per serving)

VASCULAR STRENGTH (500 mg of Taurine per serving)


REFERENCES

(1) Yamori Y, et al. Taurine as the nutritional factor for the longevity of the Japanese revealed by a world-wide epidemiological survey. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2009
(2) Ito T, et al. Tissue depletion of taurine accelerates skeletal muscle senescence and leads to early death in mice. PLoS One. 2014 Sep 17
(3) Ito T, et al. Potential Anti-aging Role of Taurine via Proper Protein Folding: A Study from Taurine Transporter Knockout Mouse. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2015
(4) Labbadia J, et al. Proteostasis and longevity: when does aging really begin? F1000Prime Rep. 2014 Feb
(5) Yang J, et al. Taurine increases testicular function in aged rats by inhibiting oxidative stress and apoptosis. Amino Acids. 2015 Aug.
(6) Gebara E, et al. Taurine increases hippocampal neurogenesis in aging mice. Stem Cell Res. 2015 May
(7) Sergeeva OA, et al. aurine-induced long-lasting enhancement of synaptic transmission in mice: role of transporters. J Physiol. 2003 Aug
(8) Hansen SH, et al. Taurine and regulation of mitochondrial metabolism. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2015;
(9) Jong CJ, et al. The ubiquitin-proteasome system and autophagy are defective in the taurine-deficient heart. Amino Acids 2015 Jul 21.
(10) Schaffer SW, et al. Does taurine prolong lifespan by improving heart function? Adv Exp Med Biol. 2015;
(11) Murakami S. Taurine and atherosclerosis. Amino Acids. 2014.
(12) Sirdah MM. Protective and therapeutic effectiveness of taurine in diabetes mellitus: a rationale for antioxidant supplementation. Diabetes Metab Syndr 2015 Jan-Mar;
(13) Dantos-Silva JC, et al. Taurine supplementation ameliorates glucose homeostasis, prevents insulin and glucogon hypersecretion, and controls Beta, alpha and gamma masses in genetic obese mice. Amino Acids. 2015 Aug;
(14) Moloney MA, et al. Two weeks taurine supplementation reverses endothelial dysfunction in young male type 1 diabetics. Diab Vasc Dis Res. 2010 Oct
(15) Ramila KC, et al. Role of protein phosphorylation in excitation-contraction coupling in taurine deficient hearts. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2015 Feb
(16) Heller-Stilb B, et al. Disruption of the taurine transporter gene (taut) leads to retinal degeneration in mice. FASEB J. 2002 Feb
(17) Froger N, et al. Taurine: the comeback of a neutraceutical in the prevention of retinal degenerations. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2014 Jul.
(18) Froger N, et al. Taurine is a crucial factor to preserve retinal ganglion cell survival. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2013.
(19) Gaucher D, et al. Taurine deficiency damages retinal neurones: cone photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells. Amino Acids. 2012.
(20) Spriet LL, et al. Taurine and skeletal muscle function. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2015 Jan;
(21) Goodman CA, Horvath D, Stathis C, et al. Taurine supplementation increases skeletal muscle force production and protects muscle function during and after high-frequency in vitro stimulation.J Appl Physiol.2009 Jul.
(22) Zhang M, et al. Role of taurine supplementation to prevent exercise-induced oxidative stress in healthy young men. Amino Acids, 2004.
(23) Manabe S, et al. Decreased blood levels of lactic acid and urinary excretion of 3-methylhistidine after exercise by chronic taurinetreatment in rats
(24) Yatabe Y, et al. Effects of taurine administration on exercise. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2009;
(25) Kato T, et al. The effects of taurine administration against inflammation in heavily exercised skeletal muscle of rats. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2015.