Amino acids are the molecular foundation for every protein in your body. They are so essential that the failure to obtain even one necessary amino acid can have significant consequences for your health. Taurine is a special type of sulfur-containing amino acid. It's a "free" molecule that is not incorporated into any sort of proteins coded for by the DNA. For this reason, it's not one of the main amino acids. Nevertheless, it is the most abundant free amino acid in the human body. Researchers are just beginning to discover that taurine may have a number of useful health benefits.
Dietary Sources
In adults, taurine is a non-essential amino acid. This means that your body produces all the taurine it needs independent of whether you consume it in your diet. Nevertheless, taurine does occur naturally in foods, especially meat and seafood, and artificially in energy drinks. Health companies also sell taurine as a dietary supplement. One study estimated that the average person consumes 40 mg to 400 mg of taurine a day. However, children do need to consume taurine due to immature and undeveloped biosynthetic pathways that produce taurine from scratch.
Functions
Taurine is essential for the proper development and function of the cardiovascular system, skeletal muscles and central nervous system. Most of the research has focused on the effects of taurine on these organs. It also plays a role in the metabolism of bile acids, which break down foods and promote proper digestion.
Heart Disease
In 2008 a group of researchers from Saga University in Japan published a study in the journal "Lipids Health and Disease" that suggests the consumption of taurine can reduce the synthesis of lipids and cholesterol that are associated with atherosclerosis --- a condition characterized by the accumulation of fatty material in the arteries --- and coronary heart disease. This initial study presages the need for further research to determine whether there is a direct connection between taurine consumption and the risk of heart disease.
Brain Function
Taurine is one of the most abundant amino acids in the brain, yet the role of taurine in brain function has remained a mystery. In recent years researchers have discovered that taurine appears to activate a specific receptor in the regulatory region of the brain known as the thalamus. This structure processes sensory information between the brainstem, sensory organs and the main executive functions in the cortex. It also regulates awareness and general brain activity. This leads researchers to suggest that taurine may play a role in neurological development. Whether supplementation of taurine can improve mood and cognitive function, however, remains to be seen. A number of studies have found beneficial effects, though the results paint an inconclusive picture. For example, a 2007 study published in the "Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism" suggests that taurine may have an anti-anxiety effect in animals.
References
- Florida State University; Taurine; March 2004
- European Commission; Opinion on Caffeine, Taurine and D-Glucurono - g -Lactone as Constituents of So-Called "Energy" Drinks; January 1999
- "Lipids in Health and Disease"; Taurine Reduces the Secretion of Apolipoprotein B100 and Lipids in HepG2 Cells; T. Yanagita, et al.; October 2008
- Cornell University; Scientists Close in on Taurine's Activity in the Brain; February 2008
- "Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism"; Taurine Induces Anti-Anxiety by Activating Strychnine-Sensitive Glycine Receptor in vivo; Cheng Gao Zhanga and Sung-Jin Kim; 2007
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