Featured article | November 2024
Effects and Mechanisms of Taurine as a Therapeutic Agent
Stephen Schaffer, Ha Won Kim
Biomolecules & Therapeutics, Volume 26, Number 3, 2018
The article highlights taurine’s therapeutic potential, mechanisms of action, and clinical applications across various diseases and conditions.
Discussed in the article:
- Key roles of taurine:
- acts as an antioxidant, reducing oxidative stress and inflammation
- supports mitochondrial function
- protects enzymes crucial for combating oxidative damage
- maintains energy metabolism, particularly in the heart
- improves fatty acid oxidation and bile acid production
- regulates calcium homeostasis, preventing calcium overload during events like strokes or heart attacks
- decreases glutamate toxicity, preventing neuronal damage during strokes
- influences gene expression, affecting cellular processes such as cell cycle progression, signaling, and survival
- balances neurotransmitter systems by acting on GABA, glycine, and NMDA receptors
- Taurine shows potential for addressing:
- cardiovascular conditions including heart failure, hypertension, and atherosclerosis
- metabolic conditions (e.g., obesity)
- mitochondrial diseases
- inflammatory diseases (e.g., arthritis)
- neurological conditions
- Dosing information:
- Clinical studies often use taurine supplements in the range of 1-6 grams per day, depending on the condition and individual needs
- Combining taurine with magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids has shown synergistic benefits
“Taurine administration was found to increase the time until exhaustion, reduce exercise-induced fatigue and diminish damage from intense exercise.”
“During a stroke, taurine decreases glutamate toxicity, thereby reducing both oxidative stress and calcium overload.”
“Promoters of mitochondrial oxidative stress, including ozone, nitrogen dioxide, bleomycin, amiodarone, arsenic, iron, Adriamycin and catecholamines, to name a few, respond favorably to taurine therapy.”
