Taurine, a common energy drink ingredient, may slow down ageing process

Washington, US

Scientists are considering conducting a significant clinical trial to investigate the potential health benefits of taurine, a supplement known to slow down the ageing process and maintain vitality in animals. 

Taurine, commonly added to energy drinks, is a micronutrient. Studies on mice and monkeys have demonstrated positive health effects and increased lifespan associated with taurine supplementation. 

While it remains uncertain whether these benefits extend to humans, researchers believe that the existing evidence justifies a large-scale trial, especially considering that taurine is already used as a supplement in lower doses. 

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Dr Vijay Yadav, who led the research at Columbia University, emphasised the importance of understanding the potential health benefits of taurine as it occurs naturally in the body. He stated that taurine levels in animals resulted in longer and healthier lives, expressing confidence that these findings could be relevant to humans. 

“Taurine abundance declines with age and reversal of this decline makes animals live longer and healthier lives,” said Dr Yadav adding, “At the end of the day, these findings should be relevant to humans.”

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Professor Henning Wackerhage from the Technical University of Munich suggested that a trial should compare the health outcomes of individuals taking daily taurine supplements with those taking placebos. 

While determining whether taurine prolongs human lifespan may be challenging, assessing its impact on overall health is a critical objective for medicine. 

Testing taurine on middle-aged mice 

The team's discovery led to testing taurine's effects on middle-aged mice, which revealed that the supplemented mice were healthier, showed signs of youthfulness, and exhibited improvements in various health markers such as bone density, muscle strength, memory, and immune system function. 

Additionally, the taurine-supplemented mice lived longer, with males experiencing an average increase of 10 per cent and females 12 per cent, equivalent to three to four extra months or seven to eight human years. 

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Medical data analysis of over 12,000 Europeans aged 60 and above showed that higher taurine levels correlated with lower rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and inflammation. The researchers also observed that intense exercise increased taurine levels.