Taurine in power drinks could also be an ‘elixir of life’: research

Health

By Marc Lallanilla

June 9, 2023 | 11:05am

The fountain of youth is perhaps in your fridge proper now.

A research from Columbia College has revealed that taurine — a nutrient present in meat, fish, dairy and a few power drinks like Celsius, Purple Bull, Monster and Rockstar — appears to sluggish the getting old course of and lengthen wholesome lifespans.

“This research means that taurine may very well be an elixir of life inside us that helps us reside longer and more healthy lives,” Vijay Yadav, Ph.D., assistant professor of genetics and improvement at Columbia College, said in a news release.

Yadav and a group of researchers performed experiments with animals and folks to find out what function taurine — which can also be produced within the physique — performs in well being and longevity.

The researchers discovered that taurine ranges in 60-year-old individuals have been about one-third of these present in 5-year-olds.

The research was published in the journal Science.

Research of mice and monkeys confirmed that taurine ranges dropped considerably over time in animals, too. “That’s once we began to ask if taurine deficiency is a driver of the getting old course of, and we arrange a big experiment with mice,” Yadav mentioned.

They found {that a} weight-reduction plan with taurine dietary supplements elevated the typical lifespan by 12% in feminine mice and 10% in males — roughly equal to about seven or eight human years.

Extra experiments revealed that taurine “elevated power expenditure, elevated bone mass, improved muscle endurance and energy, diminished depression-like and anxious behaviors, diminished insulin resistance and promoted a younger-looking immune system.”

“Not solely did we discover that the animals lived longer, we additionally discovered that they’re residing more healthy lives,” Yadav mentioned.

And when middle-aged rhesus monkeys got each day taurine dietary supplements for six months, the monkeys averted weight acquire, diminished their fasting blood glucose, elevated bone density and improved the well being of their immune programs.

However Yadav and different consultants warning that it’s too quickly to load up on taurine dietary supplements within the expectation that you simply’ll reside to be 150.

“This doesn’t look like a narrative prepared for prime time, and it may very well be dangerous if individuals began consuming extra animal-sourced meals to extend taurine consumption,” Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and diet at Harvard’s T.H. Chan Faculty of Public Well being, told CNN.

“Some further research in people utilizing taurine dietary supplements could be fascinating, however we’re great distance from suggesting their use,” Willett, who was not concerned within the research, added.

Yadav agrees: “Solely a randomized medical trial in individuals will decide if taurine really has well being advantages.”

Nonetheless, taurine has some benefits over different compounds which can be being studied for his or her potential longevity advantages.

“Taurine is of course produced in our our bodies, it may be obtained naturally within the weight-reduction plan, it has no identified poisonous results (though it’s not often utilized in concentrations used on this research), and it may be boosted by train,” Yadav famous.

“Taurine abundance goes down with age, so restoring taurine to a youthful degree in outdated age could also be a promising anti-aging technique.”