Taurine can reverse aging in mice according to an exciting study published in Science on June 8. Researchers gave some mice taurine while others received placebo; those fed taurine had healthier organs and showed reduced DNA damage compared with their counterparts.
Taurine is an essential micronutrient found in meat, fish and dairy products and one of the latest contenders in search of an anti-ageing drug.
Improves Muscle Strength
Taurine is an organic compound naturally produced in the body from methionine. Additionally, athletes and other highly active people often produce additional amounts during intense physical exercise which produces taurine as a waste product. Taurine can enhance performance of various athletes, including endurance, anaerobic strength and power athletes, muscle damage prevention and restoration and muscle repair and restoration. Additionally, exercise can improve athletes’ metabolisms by decreasing markers of glycolysis and fat oxidation – such as lactate, creatine kinase and inorganic phosphorus levels – as well as increasing mitochondria in cells to boost energy production while decreasing cellular fatigue. Taurine may help increase production of nitric oxide and antioxidants that protect cells against damage, potentially helping slow the aging process by improving nutrient sensing, increasing mitochondrial function, and supporting regeneration processes in certain tissues.
Researchers have observed that taurine levels decline with age in mice, monkeys and humans alike; yet the reason remains elusive. When added to middle-age mouse diets, however, taurine seems to help with weight control and muscle endurance; their insulin resistance rates drop, their bone density improves and their immune systems function more effectively – leading to 10% longer lives than expected; in human terms that would translate to seven or eight years extra life span!
Taurine offers numerous advantages due to its antioxidant properties. It helps prevent the oxidative stress caused by intense exercise or other metabolic activities and can reduce inflammatory reactions. Furthermore, taurine may facilitate metabolic shifting within skeletal muscle fibers towards those resistant to oxidation while still protecting more vulnerable glycolytic fibers; additionally it also inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokine formation while increasing beneficial M2 macrophages within fat tissue.
Studies on taurine have documented its many benefits, with most striking evidence coming from short-term intensive exercise training programs. Supplementing with taurine significantly increased aerobic capacity (VO2max), time to exhaustion and anaerobic power – with reduced muscle damage caused by metabolic markers associated with glycolysis and fat oxidation as well as reduced telomere shortening in skeletal muscle cells protecting against cellular senescence.
Lowers Blood Sugar
Researchers have discovered that taurine can reverse aging by stopping the accumulation of senescent cells (idle cells that no longer produce active DNA but still produce inflammation-promoting cytokines) and increasing DNA repair mechanisms, thus decreasing oxidative stress damage to DNA, shortening of telomeres, and overall increasing cell health. Furthermore, taurine appears to enhance nutrient sensing, enhance mitochondrial function, promote cell regeneration in some tissues, reduce levels of inflammation, and overall increase cell health.
Studies on mice have demonstrated that taurine supplements significantly reduce blood sugar and improve metabolic functions such as insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism, likely as a result of its ability to prevent AMP-activated protein kinase activity from decreasing, which plays an integral part in controlling glucose uptake.
Taurine may help reduce HbA1c levels, fasting glucose and triglycerides among diabetes patients; further research will need to be completed before reaching this conclusion in people with type 2 diabetes.
Middle-aged mice in another study received either taurine supplements or placebo daily; those given taurine experienced lower blood sugar, improved lipid profiles and greater muscle strength than their counterparts who received a placebo. Scientists believe this might be because taurine prevents an inhibition in AMP-activated protein kinase activity and by increasing glycolysis; which involves breaking down glucose into pyruvate and carbon dioxide through glycolysis processes.
Studies on humans have also confirmed this correlation, showing higher taurine levels are related to lower obesity, inflammation and incidences of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. One large-scale analysis involving 12,000 European adults over 60 found those with higher taurine levels experienced healthier outcomes including fewer cases of type 2 diabetes, lower levels of obesity and inflammation and healthier health in general.
Dr. Singh led a team of scientists in researching whether increasing taurine levels could significantly slow or reverse aging in mice. For 10 months, these mice received either daily doses of taurine or placebo and the researchers observed that those given taurine had improved markers of biological age such as bone density and blood sugar levels; furthermore, on average they lived approximately 12 percent longer than the control group.
Lowers Blood Pressure
Taurine is an essential chemical produced by the liver that plays a pivotal role in many aspects of body functions, from helping absorb fats and regulate cell volume to supporting protein synthesis in mitochondria – organelles responsible for powering each cell in our bodies. Unfortunately, taurine levels decline steadily with age and researchers have long debated if low taurine deficiency contributes to human aging.
Yadav’s team quickly identified taurine as one of several potential factors when conducting extensive blood compound analyses, discovering that levels decreased with age in mice, monkeys and humans alike – by time people reach their 60s their natural taurine levels have shrunk by approximately one-third since childhood.
Taurine supplementation was found to have numerous positive effects on several hallmarks of aging: It increased mouse lifespan by 12 percent (roughly equivalent to three or four months for humans), reduced symptoms such as weight gain, muscle weakness and cognitive decline while slowing DNA buildup and decreasing inflammation.
Middle-aged rhesus macaques given taurine experienced similar benefits. Along with improving strength, endurance and cognition, it also reversed signs of aging such as osteoporosis, post-ovariectomy weight gain and senescence; reduced insulin resistance; improved endothelial function which promoted more effective blood flow; decreased insulin resistance; and promoted increased production of nitric oxide for improved blood circulation.
These results indicate that taurine deficiency could play a part in human aging; however, the team still requires more human studies before reaching any definitive conclusions. They intend to conduct global observational study involving medical exams on large groups of participants from a global observational study focusing on 50 health measures associated with taurine levels compared with those who have higher or lower taurine levels – hoping that those who had higher taurine levels were healthier overall with reduced rates of diabetes and obesity, better cardiovascular health, longer lifespans.
Lowers Inflammation
Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid or TAS) can be found naturally in many animal tissues and as dietary supplements; some energy drinks also feature it. Studies indicate that taurine may protect against cardiovascular disease, regulate blood pressure and decrease inflammation; its ability to improve muscle strength and immune system function makes taurine an appealing candidate for anti-aging therapies.
Scientists have long recognized the connection between certain bloodstream molecules and aging; however, they haven’t been able to demonstrate whether these molecules actively direct it or simply contribute to it as passengers. Over the years however, scientists have found that raising levels of certain molecules can actually slow aging and extend healthspan — the number of years you remain healthy and active over your lifespan.
Researchers have recently begun investigating the role of taurine in controlling cellular senescence, which contributes to both aging and death. They discovered that supplementing mice and nonhuman primates with taurine led to improved bone, metabolic and immunological health benefits as well as an increase in median lifespan by 10-12%. Supplementation also helped slow several key markers of aging such as telomere attrition and mitochondrial and DNA damage.
Taurine reverses aging through various mechanisms; one theory suggests it reduces inflammation by inhibiting NFkB enzyme, while another postulates that it reduces oxidative stress by increasing superoxide dismutase activity – both processes linked to decreased levels of senescent cells, which promote inflammation and cell senescence.
Studies have demonstrated that an inadequate intake of taurine leads to cell senescence, shortening lifespan by about 40% in mice. Researchers discovered that deletion of the gene Slc6a6 — required for transporting taurine — significantly shortened animal lifespans as evidence that taurine deficiency contributes to telomere attrition and other effects associated with aging-related events.
Recent findings by researchers at the University of Sao Paulo indicate that exercise combined with taurine supplements could boost antioxidant defenses in the body, thus decreasing risks such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Unfortunately, however, these observations were solely observational and further studies must be performed on this hypothesis to substantiate them.
