When our cells process the oxygen we breathe and the food we eat day-after-day with a purpose to survive, they generate potentially toxic by-products popularly often called “free radicals”. Some of those molecules perform functions essential to the organism, but when there are too lots of them the cells’ internal structures could be damaged, stopping the cells from functioning properly and potentially resulting in chronic disease. This process is known as oxidative stress.
Our bodies contain a veritable arsenal of antioxidant enzymes that help maintain an appropriate reactive oxygen species balance, but these control mechanisms develop into less efficient as we become old. According to an article published within the journal Nutrition, supplementing one’s eating regimen with the amino acid taurine may very well be a viable dietary technique to combat the issue.
The study described within the article was conducted on the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil and involved 24 women volunteers aged between 55 and 70. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group took three 500 mg capsules of taurine per day for 16 weeks (1.5 g per day). The other took capsules containing only corn starch (placebo). Neither the participants nor the researchers knew which group each volunteer belonged to.
Markers of oxidative stress were analyzed in blood samples collected before and at the tip of the intervention. One of probably the most interesting results was a rise of just about 20% in levels of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) within the group that received taurine, compared with a decrease of three.5% within the control group. As the authors explain, SOD protects cells against harmful reactions of the superoxide radical.
“Preventing the buildup of free radicals that naturally occurs with aging probably prevents cardiovascular disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, among other chronic conditions,” said Ellen de Freitas, a professor on the Ribeirão Preto School of Physical Education and Sports (EEFERP-USP) and co-principal investigator for a project supported by FAPESP.
According to Freitas, only a few studies of the results of taurine within the context of aging could be present in the scientific literature. “This study was a first step, aimed at investigating the ideal dose and possible side effects, none of which was observed in any of the participants,” she said.
Anti-aging therapy
Taurine is a nutrient present in certain foods, resembling fish, shellfish, chicken, turkey and beef. It can also be naturally produced in some tissues of the human body, especially the liver, and is essential to the functioning of the central nervous system, immunity, eyesight and fertility.
The group led by Freitas has studied taurine’s antioxidant and anti inflammatory effects for ten years or more, initially in high-performance athletes and later in obese individuals, with every day doses starting from 3 g to six g. “The results showed that oxidative stress in these individuals could be controlled when their diet was supplemented with this amino acid. We then decided to test the strategy in the context of aging. This was very novel, so we began with a very low safety dose,” Freitas said.
The original idea was to research the effect of taurine supplementation combined with exercise training, and each interventions individually. Physical activity is taken into account one in all the foremost ways of modulating levels of oxidizing substances and antioxidants within the organism, and the fitting amount is believed to spice up the advantages of taurine. However, with the arrival of the pandemic and the indisputable fact that the volunteers belonged to a high-risk group for COVID-19 complications, the researchers decided to proceed only with the dietary a part of the study, which may very well be monitored remotely.
Two other markers of oxidative stress were analyzed besides SOD: the antioxidant enzyme glutathione reductase (GR), which decreased significantly in each groups, and malondialdehyde (MDA), which increased 23% within the control group and decreased 4% within the taurine supplementation group.
“These results were modest, but we believe a higher dose of taurine could produce stronger evidence for its benefits,” Freitas said.
For Gabriela Abud, first creator of the article and currently a PhD candidate on the Ribeirão Preto Medical School (FMRP-USP), changes within the volunteers’ eating regimen within the early months of the pandemic owing to lockdown could have affected the outcomes of the biochemical evaluation.
“In addition to markers of oxidative stress, we analyzed levels of minerals such as selenium, zinc, magnesium and calcium, which are important to the functioning of these enzymes,” Abud explained. “Selenium, for example, is a co-factor for glutathione peroxidase [which indirectly helps eliminate hydrogen peroxide from the organism] and was reduced in both groups.”
For Freitas, taurine supplementation is just the “cherry on the cake” and can’t work miracles by itself. “A healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and regular exercise is fundamental for the anti-aging effect to occur,” she said.
In the following study, the group plan to incorporate obese women aged 60-75 with sarcopenia, a gradual lack of muscle mass that could be exacerbated by chronic inflammation. “These people face an acute risk of developing complications. We’ll offer physical training associated with taurine supplementation at 3 g per day and observe the possible alterations due to these interventions,” Freitas said.
It is essential to remember that the advantages and risks of dietary taurine supplementation are still being investigated. Food supplements mustn’t be taken without medical supervision.
10.1016/j.nut.2022.111706