Taurine supplement makes animals live longer — what it means for people is unclear

Source: The post is based on the article “Taurine supplement makes animals live longer — what it means for people is unclear” published in Nature on 12th June 2023

What is the News?

According to a study, ageing mice, worms and monkeys can live longer or healthier lives when fed large amounts of taurine, a common ingredient in health supplements and energy drinks.

What is Taurine?

Taurine is a type of chemical called an amino sulfonic acid. It occurs naturally in the body. The best food sources are meat, fish, and eggs.

Taurine has important functions in the heart and brain. It helps support nerve growth. 

It might also benefit people with heart failure by lowering blood pressure and calming the nervous system. This might help prevent heart failure from becoming worse.

It’s also sometimes sold as a supplement, which is popular with bodybuilders and athletes, who believe it may help them to control their body temperature and reduce muscular fatigue during exercise.

What did the researchers find about Taurine?

Researchers have found that Taurine supplements can slow down the ageing process in worms, mice, and monkeys. 

A large experiment with mice showed that taurine increased the average lifespan by 12% in female mice and 10% in males. For the mice, that meant three to four extra months, equivalent to about seven or eight human years