Demystifying Taurine as a Unique Amino Acid and its Association With Longevity
You must have heard about Taurine, or maybe seen it on the labels of energy drinks and then you might have thought that it is very important in the energy you get. It is also possible that you have seen it as a supplement and wonder what function it has but do not know, well, today I will be helping you understand Taurine.
Taurine is indeed an amino acid, sporting the typical amino group and an acid group. However, it's not your average amino acid. Unlike its counterparts that boast a carboxylic acid group, taurine features a sulfuric acid group, setting it apart from the traditional amino acids. As a result, it's classified as a free amino acid, not a constituent of proteins.
Taurine plays numerous essential roles within the body. It's known to conjugate with bile acids, influencing the absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins. This amino acid is associated with inhibitory neurotransmission, binding to GABA receptors due to its structural similarity to GABA. Additionally, taurine binds to glycine receptors, further demonstrating its versatility. Taurine's involvement extends to mitochondrial transfer RNA (tRNA), facilitating the addition of amino acids to proteins. It's also linked to combating oxidative stress, an important aspect of cellular health.
Taurine can be gotten from various sources of which one of them is in food found in meat, seafoods, and milk. It is very scarce in plants and but found in - you guess it, your favorite energy drinks. Our body also naturally makes taurine, as it converts the enzymatic amino acid cysteine to taurine. While our body can make taurine, it is important to know that the levels of taurine declines with age. A study showed that levels of tuarine decline in humans by around 80 percent and also declines in other animals like monkeys and cats.
A group of researchers decided to test taurine and longevity, since it reduces with age, and they found out that rats fed with taurine regardless of their sex lived longer than the control mice up to 10 and about 12 percent. Another research showed that giving taurine to monkeys increased their bone density and the content in their lumbar spines and legs compared to the controls.
The result also showed reduction in serum concentration of liver damage markers as well as decreasing age-related increase in senescence. Studies on humans, showed that higher blood taurine levels were associated with lower body mass index and lower prevalence level of type 2 diabetes, and lower glucose level.
Taurine, while often found in energy drinks, is far more than just a trendy ingredient. It plays diverse and vital roles in our body's functions, from influencing fat absorption to potentially enhancing longevity and promoting overall well-being. As we continue to unveil the secrets of taurine with more research and study, we should be able to find more benefits of it in association to our own biology.
Read More
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01910-4
https://www.ccjm.org/content/83/12/895
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3501277/
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adi3025
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5933890/
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn9257
https://www.columbiadoctors.org/news/taurine-may-be-key-longer-and-healthier-life
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