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Taurine

Taurine, which has a structure similar to amino acids, is not part of our muscle protein yet is important in metabolism, especially in the brain. It prevents platelet aggregation, but that process is essential to form blood clots to stop bleeding (5). It is essential in newborns, as they cannot make it (6). Adults can produce sulfur-containing taurine from cysteine with the help of vitamin B6. It is possible that if not enough taurine is made in the body, especially if cysteine or B6 is deficient, it might be required in the diet. In foods, it is high in meats and fish proteins. Vegans may have low levels of taurine (1). However, most people have large tissue pools of taurine so supplements are of no value (2). After trauma (3), however, or for people with diabetes (4), supplemental taurine may be useful.

Taurine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, and may act as a mild sedative, which may help to calm nerves. However, I could find no research to support this.

HAZARDS OF TAURINE: I could not find any for normal dosages.

(1) AJCN 1988 Taurine in vegans "Prolonged absence of dietary taurine intake causes decreased plasma taurine and severely restricted urinary taurine output. "

(2) J Nutr 1975 "taurine resembles other amino acids in having large tissue pools but differs strikingly in being metabolically inert with an extremely slow turnover rate."

(3) AJCN 1994 "Even 7 d of a high-dose taurine supplementation does not fully correct the hypotaurinemia of trauma. "

(4) AJCN 1995 "After oral supplementation(1.5 g/d), both plasma and platelet taurine concentrations increased significantly in the diabetic patients, reaching the mean values of healthy control subjects. "

(5) AJCN 1989 "taurine in vivo stabilizes platelets against aggregation such that during taurine depletion platelets become overly sensitive whereas during supplementation their tendency to aggregate is depressed. "

(6) J Nutr 1991 "At 6 mo, tissue taurine content was significantly greater in the monkeys supplemented with taurine, but by 12 mo, there was no longer a significant difference. Activities of enzymes involved in taurine biosynthesis did not differ between the groups at any age."