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Taurine


Taurine occurs naturally in food, especially in seafood and meat. The mean

daily intake from omnivore diets was determined to be around 58 mg (range

from 9 to 372 mg) and to be low or negligible from a strict vegan diet. In

another study, taurine intake was estimated to be generally less than 200

mg/day, even in individuals eating a high-meat diet. According to another

study, taurine consumption was estimated to vary between 40 and

400 mg/day.


Physiological functions


Taurine is essential for cardiovascular function, and development and

function of skeletal muscle, the retina and the central nervous system.[20]

Taurine is conjugated via its amino terminal group with chenodeoxycholic

acid and cholic acid to form the bile salts sodium taurochenodeoxycholate

and sodium taurocholate. The low pKa[21] of taurine's sulfonic acid group

ensures this moiety is negatively charged in the pH ranges normally found

in the intestinal tract and, thus, improves the surfactant properties of

the cholic acid conjugate. Taurine crosses the blood-brain barrier[22][23]

[24] and has been implicated in a wide array of physiological phenomena

including inhibitory neurotransmission,[25] long-term potentiation in the

striatum/hippocampus,[26] membrane stabilization,[27] feedback inhibition

of neutrophil/macrophage respiratory burst, adipose tissue regulation and

possible prevention of obesity,[28][29] calcium homeostasis,[30] recovery

from osmotic shock,[31] protection against glutamate excitotoxicity[32] and

prevention of epileptic seizures.[33] It also acts as an antioxidant and

protects against toxicity of various substances (such as lead and

cadmium).[34][35][36][37] Additionally, supplementation with taurine has

been shown to prevent oxidative stress induced by exercise.[38] In a 2008

study, taurine has been shown to reduce the secretion of apolipoprotein

B100 and lipids in HepG2 cells.[39] High concentrations of serum lipids and

apolipoprotein B100 (essential structural component of VLDL and LDL) are

major risk factors of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Hence,

taurine supplementation is possibly beneficial for the prevention of these

diseases. In a 2003 study, Zhang et al. have demonstrated the

hypocholesterolemic (blood cholesterol-lowering) effect of dietary taurine

in young overweight adults. Furthermore, they reported body weight also

decreased significantly in the taurine supplemented group.[40] These

findings are consistent with animal studies.[41] Taurine has also been

shown to help people with congestive heart failure by increasing the force

and effectiveness of heart-muscle contractions.