A certain nutrient could be the secret ingredient in a new anti-aging therapy. Researchers from the University of São Paulo have found that the amino acid taurine can help fight the aging process.
The human body produces potentially toxic byproducts called “free radicals” when cells process oxygen and food. Although some of these molecules perform important functions in the body, too many free radicals can damage the inner structures of cells, preventing cells from functioning properly and potentially leading to chronic disease. This cellular problem is known as oxidative stress.
As we age, the control mechanisms that help maintain an appropriate balance of reactive oxygen species become less efficient. This is where diet and taurine come in.
What is taurine?
Taurine is a nutrient that people can find in certain foods, including fish, shellfish, chicken, turkey, and beef. It is also a naturally occurring substance in some tissues of the human body, most notably the liver. According to researchers, taurine is also important for central nervous system health, immunity, vision and fertility.
For the study, the study authors divided 24 women between the ages of 55 and 70 into two groups. One group took three 500-milligram capsules of taurine daily for 16 weeks, while the other group took a placebo.
Researchers analyzed oxidative stress markers in blood samples taken before and at the end of the study. They found a nearly 20 percent increase in the antioxidant enzyme hyperventilating (SOD) in the taurine group. Meanwhile, the placebo group saw a 3.5 percent drop. Researchers explain that SOD protects cells from harmful free radical reactions. Antioxidants generally keep free radicals at bay and reduce oxidative stress.
“Preventing the buildup of free radicals that occurs naturally with aging likely prevents cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension, among other chronic diseases,” says co-principal researcher Ellen de Freitas, a professor at the Ribeirao Preto School of Physical Education and Sport, in a media release.
According to Freitas, there are few studies examining the effects of taurine in relation to aging.
“This study was a first step in investigating the ideal dose and possible side effects that were not observed in any of the participants,” says Freitas.
Freitas’ group has been studying the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of taurine for more than 10 years, first in high-performance athletes and then in overweight people.
“The results showed that oxidative stress could be controlled in these individuals when their diets were supplemented with this amino acid. We then decided to test the strategy in the context of aging. This was very novel, so we started with a very low safety dose,” explains Freitas.
Taurine could be the icing on the cake of anti-aging treatments
The study was originally set to examine the effect of taurine supplementation combined with exercise, but the COVID-19 pandemic thwarted that approach, allowing the researchers to proceed with only the nutrition portion of the study because they were able to monitor it remotely.
The researchers analyzed two other markers of oxidative stress outside of SOD: the antioxidant enzyme glutathione reductase, which decreased dramatically in both groups, and malondialdehyde, which increased by 23 percent in the control group and decreased by four percent in the taurine group.
“These results were modest, but we believe that a higher dose of taurine may provide stronger evidence of its benefits,” says Freitas.
Gabriela Abud, the study’s first author and a PhD student at Ribeirao Preto Medical School, says changes in the volunteers’ diet during the first few months of the COVID-19 lockdown may have affected the results of the biochemical analysis.
“In addition to markers of oxidative stress, we analyzed the levels of minerals such as selenium, zinc, magnesium and calcium, which are important for the function of these enzymes,” says Abud. “Selenium, for example, is a cofactor for glutathione peroxidase [which indirectly helps eliminate hydrogen peroxide from the organism] and was reduced in both groups.”
Freitas called taurine supplementation the “cherry on the cake” for fighting the aging process, but people still need to eat healthily and exercise.
“A healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and regular exercise is essential for the anti-aging effect to take effect,” says Freitas.
The study is published in the journal nutrition.