X-Message-Number: 31768
Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:56:32 -0700 (PDT)
From: 
Subject: high dietary taurine associated with reduced human mortality

[Taurine is a neglected supplement which likely has the ability to
increase human lifespan. The evidence in support of this notion is spotty,
and not up to the standards of proof for prescription drugs. Nonetheless
the evidence that does exist is quite impressive, and I recommend 500
mg/day of taurine in addition to 1000 IU+ vitamin D and 300 mg
magnesium (citrate) for life extension purposes.]

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2009;643:13-25.

Taurine as the nutritional factor for the longevity of the Japanese revealed by 
a world-wide epidemiological survey.

  Yamori Y, Liu L, Mori M, Sagara M, Murakami S, Nara Y, Mizushima S. Mukogawa 
  Women's University, Japan.

  The initial observation that taurine (T) prevented stroke in stroke-prone 
  spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) led us to study the effects of T on 
  cardiovascular diseases (CVD), as well as the epidemiological association of T
  and mortality rates, by using the data from WHO-coordinated Cardiovascular 
  Disease and Alimentary Comparison Study, which covered 61 populations in 25 
  countries. In this study, 24 hour urine (24-U) samples were examined along 
  with biomarkers of CVD risk. The mortality rate from ischemic heart disease 
  (IHD), which was lowest among the Japanese compared to the populations of 
  other developed countries, was positively related to total serum cholesterol 
  (TC) and inversely related to 24-U taurine excretion (24-UT), as well as the 
  n-3 fatty acid to total phospholipids ratio of the plasma membrane, both 
  biomarkers of seafood intake. Analysis of 5 diet-related factors revealed that
  TC and BMI were positively associated with IHD mortality in both genders 
  while Mg and T were negatively associated with IHD mortality. TC and sodium 
  (Na) were negatively and positively associated with stroke mortality, 
  respectively. 24-UT was negatively associated with stroke mortality. These 
  five diet-related factors explained 61 and 49% of IHD and stroke variances in 
  male, 63 and 36% of IHD and stroke variances in female, respectively.
PMID: 19239132

[Low doses of taurine reverse biomarkers of arterial aging in humans.]

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2009;643:47-55.
Modulation by taurine of human arterial stiffness and wave reflection.

  Satoh H, Kang J. Department of Pharmacology, Nara Medical University, Nara, 
  and Hyogo NCC College, Hyogo, Japan.

  Effects of taurine (1000-2000 mg) on hemodynamic function and the arterial 
  pulse wave were investigated for 102 healthy medical and paramedical students.
  The vascular parameters were generally dependent on aging, with the arterial 
  stiffness parameters, such as baPWV, ABI and AI, are considered the indicators
  of "vascular aging". Acute administration of taurine decreased BP and HR and 
  attenuated the stiffness parameters derived from the pulse waveform. Thus, 
  taurine can cause significant changes in the cardiovascular system and the 
  arterial pulse wave. However, approximately 5% of the students were 
  non-responders. This may be related to the notion that taurine would be 
  expected to exert greater effects on the vascular functions of unhealthy 
  individuals. Based our previous experiments, therefore, taurine plays a role 
  in the regulation of the cardiac and vascular function.
PMID: 19239135

[Vegetarians should take supplemental taurine.]

Med Hypotheses. 2004;63(3):426-33.

Sub-optimal taurine status may promote platelet hyperaggregability in 
vegetarians.
  McCarty MF. Pantox Laboratories, 4622 Santa Fe St., San Diego, CA 92109, USA.

Although vegan diets typically have a very favorable effect on a range of 
vascular risk factors, several independent groups have reported that the 
platelets of vegetarians are more sensitive to pro-aggregatory agonists than are
those of omnivores. In light of clear and convincing evidence that platelet 
function has an important impact on risk for thromboembolic events, it is 
important to clarify the basis of platelet hyperaggregability in vegetarians. A 
dietary deficit of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids is not likely to explain this 
phenomenon, since most omnivore diets do not include enough of these fats to 
discernibly influence platelet function. A more plausible possibility is that 
relatively poor taurine status--a function of the facts that plants are devoid 
of taurine and the human capacity for taurine synthesis is limited - is 
responsible. Plasma taurine levels are lower, and urinary taurine excretion is 
substantially lower, in vegetarians than in omnivores. Platelets are rich in 
taurine, which functions physiologically to dampen the calcium influx evoked by 
aggregating agonists--thereby down-regulating platelet aggregation. Supplemental
intakes of taurine as low as 400 mg daily have been reported to markedly 
decrease the sensitivity of platelets to aggregating agonists ex vivo. Although 
the average daily intake of taurine from omnivore diets may be only about 150 
mg, it is credible to speculate that a supplemental intake of this magnitude 
could normalize the platelet function of vegetarians in the long term; in any 
case, this thesis is readily testable clinically. Taurine is just one of a 
number of nutrients found almost solely in animal 
products--"carninutrients"--which are rational candidates for supplementation in
vegans. Copyright 2004 Elsevier Ltd.
PMID: 15288361

[Taurine lowers elevated blood pressure.]

Circulation. 1987 Mar;75(3):525-32.

Effects of increased adrenomedullary activity and taurine in young patients with
borderline hypertension.
  Fujita T, Ando K, Noda H, Ito Y, Sato Y.

Recent studies showed that taurine, a sulphonic amino acid, could decrease blood
pressure and increase sympathoadrenal tone in DoCA-salt-treated hypertensive 
rats. To determine whether taurine exerts its antihypertensive action in man in 
a similar fashion, we studied the effect of oral administration of taurine (6 g 
for 7 days) on blood pressure and plasma catecholamines in 19 young patients 
with borderline hypertension in a double-blind, placebo-controlled fashion. 
Systolic blood pressure in the 10 patients who were treated with taurine 
decreased by 9.0 +/- 2.9 mm Hg (mean +/- SE; p less than .05 by paired t test), 
compared with a 2.7 +/- 2.3 mm Hg decrease (NS) in the nine patients treated 
with placebo and diastolic blood pressure in the taurine-treated patients 
decreased by 4.1 +/- 1.7 mm Hg (p less than .05) compared with 1.2 +/- 3.0 mm Hg
(NS) in the placebo-treated subjects. In the patients receiving taurine plasma 
epinephrine (E) decreased significantly, with a negligible decrease in plasma 
norepinephrine (NE). The effect of taurine on plasma catecholamines and the 
response of plasma E after the stimulation with glucagon was also studied in 12 
borderline hypertensive and nine age-matched normotensive subjects. Basal plasma
E was significantly higher in borderline hypertensive than in normal subjects, 
but basal plasma NE did not differ in the two groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 
WORDS)
PMID: 3815764

Neurochem Res. 2004 Jan;29(1):143-50.
Is taurine beneficial in reducing risk factors for diabetes mellitus?

  Franconi F, Di Leo MA, Bennardini F, Ghirlanda G. Department of Pharmacology 
  and Center for Biotechnology Development and Biodiversity Research, University
  of Sassari, Italy. 

  Taurine is a semiessential amino acid, and its deficiency is involved in 
  retinal and cardiac degenerations. In recent years, it was found that diabetes
  mellitus (DM) is associated with taurine, and many in vivo experimental 
  studies showed that taurine administration is able to reduce the alterations 
  induced by DM in the retina, lens, and peripheral nerve, although its effects 
  on diabetic kidney are dubious. Interestingly, long-term taurine 
  supplementation reduces the mortality rate in diabetic rats. The mechanisms by
  which taurine exerts beneficial effects in DM are discussed below. Recently, 
  it has been suggested that taurine deficiency may alter the endocrine pancreas
  "fetal programming," increasing the risk of insulin resistance in adult life.
  The bulk of experimental data suggests that taurine administration could be 
  useful in the treatment of type 1 DM and in the prevention of insulin 
  resistance.
PMID: 14992273

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2003;526:67-73.

Taurine reduces mortality in diabetic rats: taurine and experimental diabetes 
mellitus.

  Franconi F, Santini SA, Gentiloni Silveri N, Caputo S, Giardina B, Ghirlanda 
  G, Di Leo MA. Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biotechnology 
  Development and Biodiversity Research, University of Sassari, Italy.
PMID: 12908585

[Here acetylcysteine goes head to head with taurine. Taurine wins.]

Diabetologia. 2008 Jan;51(1):139-46. Epub 2007 Nov 17.

Oral taurine but not N-acetylcysteine ameliorates NEFA-induced impairment in 
insulin sensitivity and beta cell function in obese and overweight, non-diabetic
men.

  Xiao C, Giacca A, Lewis GF. Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 
  Toronto, ON, Canada.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Antioxidants have been shown to ameliorate lipid-induced 
impairment of insulin action and beta cell function, both in vitro and in animal
studies. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of two orally 
administered antioxidants, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and taurine (TAU), on 
lipotoxicity in humans. METHODS: Nine non-diabetic men, who were either 
overweight or obese, underwent three studies each, 4-6 weeks apart, in random 
order: (1) i.v. infusion of saline for 48 h (SAL); (2) i.v. infusion of 
Intralipid and heparin for 48 h to mimic chronic elevation of plasma NEFA (IH); 
and (3) IH infusion for 48 h with concurrent oral NAC (IH+NAC). Six men 
underwent similar studies except for study 3, where instead of NAC they received
a 2 week pretreatment with oral TAU (IH+TAU). RESULTS: For both the NAC and TAU
studies, a 48 h IH infusion alone without antioxidant impaired insulin 
sensitivity (S(I), 63% and 62% of SAL in NAC and TAU studies, respectively) and 
beta cell function, as evidenced by a reduction in disposition index (DI, 55% 
and 54% of SAL in NAC and TAU studies, respectively). NAC failed to prevent the 
lipid-induced increase in levels of the plasma oxidative stress marker 
malondialdehyde and did not prevent the lipid-induced reduction in S(I) or DI, 
whereas TAU completely prevented the rise in malondialdehyde and decreased 
4-hydroxynonenal, and significantly improved S(I) (91% of SAL) and DI (81% of 
SAL). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Oral TAU ameliorates lipid-induced functional 
beta cell decompensation and insulin resistance in humans, possibly by reducing 
oxidative stress.
PMID: 18026714


[Here popular supplements such as vitamin E and selenium are teamed up, and go 
head to head with neglected supplement taurine. The two popular supplements 
prove to be worthless, while taurine wins the day.]

Amino Acids. 2004 Oct;27(2):187-91. Epub 2004 Aug 11.

Long-term taurine supplementation reduces mortality rate in 
streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

  Di Leo MA, Santini SA, Silveri NG, Giardina B, Franconi F, Ghirlanda G. 
  Department of Emergency Medicine, Catholic University, Rome, Italy.

  Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. 
  Taurine and vitamin E+selenium supplementation has some benefits in 
  experimental models of diabetes mellitus. This study evaluates whether taurine
  and vitamin E+selenium supplementations reduce a hard end-point such as 
  mortality due to diabetes. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were fed with 
  standard diet or taurine (5%, w/w) or vitamin E (500 UI/Kg)+selenium (8 mg/Kg)
  enriched diets. Taurine significantly decreased mortality rate (p < 0.04), 
  while vitamin E failed to increase survival. In the late phase of the disease,
  taurine significantly decreased glycaemia, being vitamin E ineffective. No 
  correlation between glycaemia and survival was found. None of supplementations
  modified body weight. Thus, only taurine decreases the mortality rate and 
  glycaemia. These results encourage new research in the field, since classical 
  hypoglycaemic agents are unable to decrease mortality in diabetic patients.
PMID: 15503226

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=31768