Brazilian Randomized Clinical Trial Finds That Taurine Supplements Can Aid In Anti-Aging Treatments!

Anti-aging Supplements: A new randomized clinical trial study by researchers from the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Araraquara at the State University of Sao Paulo – FCF UNESP-Brazil and the University of Sao Paulo Ribeirao Preto Medical School-Brazil has found that the amino acid taurine can be used in anti-aging therapies.


 
The clinical trial found that taurine supplementation can minimize oxidative damage in women 55 to 70 years of age by modulating the antioxidant system.
 
Taurine is a type of chemical called an amino sulfonic acid. Besides occurring naturally in the body, the best food sources of taurine include meat, fish, and eggs.
 
Taurine has important functions in the heart and brain. It helps support nerve growth. It might also benefit individuals with heart failure by lowering blood pressure and calming the nervous system. This might help prevent heart failure from becoming worse.
 
Many individuals also take taurine for congestive heart failure (CHF) and swelling of the liver (hepatitis). It is also used for obesity, athletic performance, fatigue, diabetes, and many other conditions, but it should be noted that there are limited studies proving its benefits.
 
Key findings in this current study showed that taurine supplementation prevented decreases in the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase.
 
Importantly, the Anti-aging Supplements study findings showed that taurine supplementation may be a viable nutritional strategy for controlling oxidative stress during the aging process.
 
From existing knowledge about the antioxidant effects of taurine, which are capable of controlling oxidative stress in the aging process, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of taurine supplementation on biomarkers of oxidative stress in women 55 to 70 years of age.
 
The study team conducted a double-blind study with 24 women (61.4 ± 4.2 y, body mass index 31.4 ± 5.1 kg/m²). The research participants were randomly assigned to either a control group (GC, n = 11), supplemented with placebo (1.5 g of starch); or a taurine group (GTAU, n = 13), supplemented with taurine (1.5 g), for 16 wk. As primary outcomes, taurine and oxidative stress marker levels were determined in plasma samples. Anthropometry, functional capacity testing, and plasma mineral levels were evaluated as secondary outcomes. The evaluations were performed pre- and postintervention. Food consumption was assessed before, during, and after the intervention. The results were analyzed by two-way repeated analysis of variance measures mixed model, with the Sidak post hoc (P < 0.05).
 
The study findings showed that taurine and superoxide dismutase (SOD, antioxidant enzyme) plasma levels were increased in the GTAU group. SOD levels also were higher than in the GC group after supplementation. Glutathione reductase levels decreased regardless of the intervention. Malondialdehyde levels increased only in the GC participants.
 
The study team told Thailand Medical News, “Taurine supplementation prevented the decrease in the antioxidant enzyme SOD, suggesting taurine as a strategy to control oxidative stress during the aging process.”
 
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Nutrition.
 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0899900722001198
 
The human cells produce potentially toxic by-products known as “free radicals” when they break down the oxygen we breathe and the food we consume each day in order to exist.
 
It has been found that some of these free radical molecules carry out important biological functions, but if there are too many of them, the internal cell structures can be harmed, impairing the cells’ ability to function and possibly resulting in chronic disease. We refer to this process as oxidative stress.
 
Human bodies have a remarkable arsenal of antioxidant enzymes that help in maintaining a healthy balance of reactive oxygen species, but as we age, these control mechanisms decline.
 
The study findings suggest that supplementing one’s diet with the amino acid taurine could be a realistic approach to address the issue.
 
The study involved 24 female volunteers aged 55 to 70. They were randomly separated into two groups. One group consumed three 500 mg capsules of taurine per day for 16 weeks (1.5 g per day). The other group received pills that simply contained corn starch (placebo). Neither the volunteers nor the researchers were aware of which group each participant belonged to.
 
Next, oxidative stress markers were analyzed in blood samples taken before and after the intervention.
 
Importantly, one of the most intriguing findings was an almost 20% rise in levels of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the taurine group, compared to a 3.5% drop in the control group.
 
The researchers explained that SOD protects cells from the harmful reactions of the superoxide radical.
 
Co-principal investigator, Dr Ellen de Freitas, a professor at the University of Sao Paulo-EEFERP USP told Thailand Medical News, “Preventing the buildup of free radicals that naturally occurs with aging probably prevents cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure, among other chronic conditions.”
 
Dr Freitas added that very few studies of the effects of taurine in the context of aging can be found in the scientific literature.
 
She said, “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 added, “Taurine is a nutrient found in certain foods, such as fish, shellfish, chicken, turkey, and beef. Additionally, it is naturally produced in some tissues of the human body, particularly the liver, and is important to the functioning of the central nervous system, immunity, eyesight, and fertility.”
 
The study team have been studying taurine’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties for at least 10 years, initially in high-performance athletes and later in obese people, with daily dosages ranging from 3 g to 6 g.
 
Dr Freitas said, “These earlier study findings 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.”

The key aim was to look at the effects of taurine supplementation in conjunction with exercise training, as well as both treatments separately.
 
According to the study team, physical activity is thought to be one of the main ways to regulate levels of oxidizing substances and antioxidants in the body, and the proper amount is thought to enhance the benefits of taurine.
 
But because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that the volunteers were in a high-risk group for COVID-19 complications, the study team chose to solely proceed with the nutritional component of the study, which could be monitored remotely.
 
Another two other markers of oxidative stress were analyzed besides SOD: the antioxidant enzyme glutathione reductase (GR), which decreased significantly in both groups, and malondialdehyde (MDA), which increased 23% in the control group and decreased 4% in the taurine supplementation group.
 
Dr Freitas said, “These results were modest, but we believe a higher dose of taurine could produce stronger evidence for its benefits.”
 
First author, Dr Gabriela Abud, a Ph.D. candidate at the Ribeirão Preto Medical School (FMRP-USP) explained that changes in the volunteers’ diet in the early months of the pandemic owing to lockdown may have affected the results of the biochemical analysis.
 
Dr Abud explained, “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. 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.”
 
However according to the study team, taurine supplementation is only the “cherry on the cake” and cannot work miracles on its own.
 
The study team commented, “A healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and regular exercise is fundamental for the anti-aging effect to occur.”
 
The study team next plans to conduct a study to include obese women aged 60-75 with sarcopenia, a gradual loss of muscle mass that can be exacerbated by chronic inflammation.
 
Dr Freitas explained, “These individuals 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.”
 
The study team however also warned that supplementations are still being investigated. Food supplements should not be taken without medical supervision.
 
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