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About Taurine

Taurine is a semi-essential amino acid high in sulfur. It is involved in nearly every aspect of our health. Taurine is made from cysteine and methionine in the liver. It is the most abundant amino acid in the heart, retina, skeletal muscle, brain and immune cells. It plays many important roles in the body.

The main role of taurine for our body is forming bile salts, which play an important role in digestion, regulating minerals such as calcium within cells, supporting the general function of the central nervous system and eyes, regulating immune system health and antioxidant function. It may reduce the risk of heart disease thanks to its ability to decrease blood pressure and inflammation and lower the fat level in the blood.

Taurine also acts as a powerful antioxidant by helping our system fight harmful free radicals and by preventing oxidative stress on the body. It inhibits the excessive production of free oxygen radicals in mitochondria. Research has proven that dietary intake of taurine reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. This is due to its hypotensive and anti-inflammatory effects. Using taurine supplements may improve heart pumping in patients with heart failure.

Taurine, along with GABA and glycine, is one of the main inhibitory mediators in the brain. Indeed, the effects of taurine are largely mediated through the GABAergic and glycinergic systems. In animal studies, taurine has been shown to reduce anxiety. In a culture of human brain cells (in vitro), taurine has been shown to stimulate the development of new brain cells.

Taurine is not used to build proteins but has multiple physiological functions important to athletes. In sports, taurine could improve muscle contraction and delay muscle fatigue. It supports the central nervous system and regulation of calcium homeostasis in both skeletal muscle and cardiac tissue. It may also increase oxygen uptake by the body, increase fatigue time, reduce muscle damage, and improve recovery time, strength and power. Taurine also has antioxidant properties, which protect tissues from oxidative damage.

TOP FOODS THAT ARE HIGH IN TAURINE

• Scallops (827 mg / 100 g)
• Raw bay mussels (655 mg / 100 g)
• Raw mussels (520 mg / 100 g)
• Raw oysters (396 mg / 100 g)
• Octopus (356 mg / 100 g)
• Cooked chicken (dark meat with legs and thighs) (200 mg / 100 g) & Cooked turkey (dark meat with legs and thighs) (300 mg / 100 g) & Cooked beef (38 mg / 100 g)
• Cooked veal (47 mg / 100 g)
• Cooked pork (57 mg / 100 g)
• Cooked chicken (light meat or chicken breast) (15 mg / 100 g)
• Cooked turkey (light meat or chicken breast) (11 mg / 100 g)

Note that people who eat only plant foods but no animal products are at increased risk of taurine deficiency because the precursors of taurine (methionine and cysteine) are present at low levels in most plant proteins (e.g., corn, potatoes, rice, wheat and vegetables).

Biostarks reference ranges for taurine

  • Taurine (Tau-S): 25-140 umol/L

Scientific references:

  • Ripps, H. & Shen, W. (2012). Review: taurine: a “very essential” amino acid. Molecular Vision 18: 2673–2686.
  • Wu, J. Y. & Prentice, H. (2010). Role of taurine in the central nervous system. Journal of Biomedical Science 17 (Suppl 1): S1.
  • Schaffer, S. & Jong, C. & Ramila, K. & Azuma, J. (2010). Physiological roles of taurine in heart and muscle. Journal of
    Biomedical Science 17 (Suppl 1): S2.
  • Jong, C. J. & Azuma, J. & Schaffer, S. (2012). Mechanism underlying the antioxidant activity of taurine: prevention of mitochondrial
    oxidant production. Amino Acids 42 (6): 2223–2232.
  • Yamori, Y. et al. (2010). Taurine in health and diseases: consistent evidence from experimental and epidemiological studies.
    Journal of Biomedical Science 17 (Suppl 1): S6.
  • Ahmadian, M. & Dabidi Roshan, V. & Ashourpore, E. (2017). Taurine supplementation improves functional capacity, myocardial
    oxygen consumption, and electrical activity in heart failure. Journal of Dietary Supplements 14 (4): 422–432.
  • Kuriyama, K. & Hashimoto, T. (1998). Interrelationship between taurine and GABA. Advances in Experimental Medicine and
    Biology 442: 329–337.
  • Zhang, C. & Kim, S. (2007). Taurine induces anti-anxiety by activating strychnine-sensitive glycine receptor in vivo. Annals of
    Nutrition and Metabolism 51 (4): 379–386.
  • Pasantes-Morales, H. & Ramos-Mandujano, G. & Hernández-Benítez, R. (2015). Taurine enhances proliferation and promotes neuronal
    specification of murine and human neural stem/progenitor cells. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 803: 457–472.