Taurine: properties and indications of a non-essential amino acid

Taurine is a non-essential amino acid, which means that it is not essential to get it from food because it can be produced by the body itself. A person weighing 60 kg has 60 g of taurine, which is found mainly in the brain, heart, muscles and retina of the eye.

what is taurine

The term taurine comes from the Latin “taurus” (bull). This immediately relates taurine to the strength and vigor of a bull. Some even believe that taurine is extracted from bull testicles. Neither one nor the other is the case. Taurine is only called taurine because it was first isolated from the bile of an ox (castrated bull) in 1827.

But today if you buy a dietary supplement or energy drink with taurine, the taurine in it no longer comes from ox bile, but instead It is obtained completely synthetically in the laboratory.

The functions in the body of taurine

In the body, taurine has the following functions:

Strengthens the heart, reduces the risk of arteriosclerosis and can be included in the therapy of heart failure. Participate in the energy metabolism. Increases endurance in sport, shortens recovery time and improves sports-related inflammation values. Protect the brain, strengthens the blood-brain barrier. Cognitive problems improve when taurine is taken. It can protect the retina of the eye and can be taken to prevent some degenerative diseases of the retina. Has antioxidant properties and, therefore, it is also active in cell protection. It is a component of bile acids and may protect against stone formation. It can be used to repair damaged tissues, It facilitates the healing processes.

What is the minimum dose of taurine?

Since taurine is normally produced by the body itself, the information on the requirements relates to situations in which self-synthesis is insufficient, for example when there are chronic symptoms that improve with the intake of taurine.

In an article published in the magazine Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacologythe authors established the taurine requirement in 3 g daily. This dose can be taken in addition to the autoproduction of taurine, without side effects. As a supplement taurine is very safe.

Taurine may be useful in heart failure

A placebo-controlled clinical trial, published in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Cardiovascular Diseaseshowed that taurine supplementation may be useful in heart failure. Taurine had an anti-inflammatory effect and even counteracted arteriosclerosis.

The patients with heart failure were divided into two groups. One group received taurine (500 mg three times a day for two weeks), the other group received a placebo. Before and after the two-week intake, subjects completed treadmill training with increasing difficulty.

In the taurine group, inflammation values ​​decreased (PCR value), while in the placebo group these values ​​increased. Values ​​indicating the development of arteriosclerosis were also decreased in the taurine group. Nothing changed in the placebo group.

Other research, published in Medical Hypothesespoints out that taurine could protect against acute cardiac events because prevents the formation of blood clots and reduces high blood pressure. The ideal combination for this purpose is a low-fat vegan diet with taurine supplementation.

bullfighting in sport

Taurine is a popular nutritional supplement among athletes looking for a way to improve your performance and reduce muscle soreness. One review showed that taking 1 to 6 g of taurine per day:

Improves resistance. Reduces inflammation. Decreases recovery time. Decreases creatine kinase (increases with overtraining or injury). Reduces the lactate value (lactate causes muscle fatigue).

These positive results were already evident after a single intake 2 hours before physical activity, but also with prolonged use over several weeks. The ideal was take 1 to 3 g of taurine 1 to 3 hours before training.

With an oral intake of 1.66 g of taurine, the taurine level in the blood increases 15 times in 2 hours. Even 4 hours later, the concentration in the blood is still 7 times higher than before ingestion.

Taurine in food

Taurine is found almost exclusively in foods of animal origin. Plant-based foods almost never contain taurine. Red marine algae are an exception, but the proportion is minimal considering the small amounts in which they are consumed.

As taurine is only found in foods of animal origin, especially meat and fish, and a little in dairy products, you might think that vegetarians and vegans could often suffer from a taurine deficiency. That is not the case. Vegans or vegetarians do not have taurine deficiency symptoms.

How taurine is made in the body

Taurine is formed by the human organism itself, provided, of course, it has sufficient building materials and enzymes. Construction materials include amino acids cysteine ​​and methionine, although cysteine ​​can be produced from methionine. Certain vitamins are also necessary for the production of taurine, such as vitamins B6 and B12.

Plant foods with cysteine ​​and methionine

Like most amino acids, cysteine ​​is found in protein-rich foods. Below is a selection of foods of plant origin and their cysteine ​​and methionine content per 100 g. The first value represents cysteine, the second, methionine:

Oats: 390 mg, 240 mg Dried Raw Lentils: 250 mg, 220 mg Cooked Lentils: 79 mg, 70 mg Sprouted Lentils: 333 mg, 99 mg Almonds: 380 mg, 270 mg Flax Meal: 633 mg 665 mg Sunflower Seeds : 427 mg, 404 mg Plain Tofu: 126 mg, 205 mg Whole wheat spelled bread: 231 mg, 180 mg Whole wheat rye bread: 114 mg, 91 mg

Vitamin B12 deficiency inhibits taurine formation

Studies indicate that vitamin B12 deficiency in the liver could inhibit taurine production (at least in mice). Therefore, if some people are deficient in taurine, the cause could be a deficiency in vitamin B12.

Therefore it is important to ensure a good intake of vitamin B12. Since vitamin B12 is found almost exclusively in foods of animal origin, nutritionists consider it necessary for vegetarians and vegans to take vitamin B12 in dietary supplement form.

However, many other people are also affected by a vitamin B12 deficiency, for example.

People with gastric problems (vitamin B12 depends on a healthy stomach lining). People taking antacids People taking metformin (diabetes medicine). Elderly people

Taurine in energy drinks

Taurine, along with caffeine, is a key ingredient in many energy drinks for the following reason: manufacturers cannot add more than 320mg of caffeine per liter and to make the drink even more stimulating they add taurine because may potentiate the effect of caffeine. However, taurine, by itself, is more calming than stimulating.

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