Taurine deficiency is one of the driving forces in the aging process of humans and animals. This is one of the results of a new study with participation of the Associate Professorship of Exercise Biology headed by Prof. Dr. Henning Wackerhage which has now been published under the title "Taurine deficiency as a driver of aging" in the journal "Science". It has an impact factor of 63.832. Treatment with taurine extends the lifespan of mice by ten percent. Monkeys that receive the treatment remain healthy for longer. It is not known whether these two results apply to humans. However, the study demonstrates a link between some age-related diseases and low taurine levels.
The researchers showed that the taurine concentration in the blood of mice, monkeys and humans decreases in old age. In blood samples taken from persons over 60 years, it was more than 80 percent lower than in children and adolescents. For the team working with Vijay Yadav, PhD, Assistant Professor of Genetics & Development at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, this led to the central question: Can the aging process be slowed down by raising taurine concentrations to a “young” level?
Experiments in which animals were given doses of taurine indeed yielded significant results. A daily dose of taurine resulted in a ten to twelve percent increase in life expectancy of mice. Worms (C. elegans) also lived longer. Both in mice and rhesus monkeys, taurine treatment also increased the so-called "healthspan". This term is used by aging researchers to describe the duration over which individuals remain healthy. The researchers have not yet identified a clear mechanism underlying the positive effects of taurine.
Prof. Wackerhage and his team provided data on human test subjects for the study. “The results of the animal experiments are impressive,” says Prof. Wackerhage. “But we don’t know whether they can be applied to humans. Now we need large human studies to find out whether taurine enables people to live healthier longer and whether there are previously unknown side effects, interactions with other substances or similar issues.”
The amino acid taurine has so far been considered harmless. It is obtained through foods and especially meat but the body also produces taurine itself. In 2012, a specialized panel of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) declared the daily consumption of six grams of taurine from foods and other sources as safe.
Together with his cooperation partners of the Helmholtz Center Munich Prof. Wackerhage found several indications suggesting a link between age-related conditions in humans and taurine deficiency. For example, a low taurine level was associated with an elevated risk of various illnesses that become more common as people get older – including diabetes, high blood pressure and higher inflammation values. Conversely, the researchers show a link between exercise and the increased production of taurine in the body. “This insight coincides with observations of positive health effects from sporting activity as people get older,” says Prof. Wackerhage
To the publication „Taurine deficiency is a driver of aging“ in the journal “Science"
To the homepage of the Associate Professorship of Exercise Biology
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Henning Wackerhage
Associate Professorship of Exercise Biology
Georg-Brauchle Ring 60/62
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24480
e-mail: Henning.Wackerhage(at)tum.de
Text: Paul Hellmich/CCC/Romy Schwaiger
Photos: "Science"/Andreas Heddergott/TUM