Taurine is present in the well-known Red Bull drink, which can play an anti-fatigue role. We will also see taurine in some nutritional supplements, such as Kangbite’s muscle building powder. So let’s understand the role of taurine.
Taurine, also known as α-aminoethanesulfonic acid, was first isolated from bezoar, hence its name.
The pure product is colorless or white oblique crystals, odorless, chemically stable, soluble in organic solvents such as ether, and is a sulfur-containing non-protein amino acid that exists in a free state in the body and does not participate in the biosynthesis of proteins in the body.
Although taurine does not participate in protein synthesis, it is closely related to the metabolism of cystine and cysteine. The activity of cysteine sulfite carboxylase (CSAD) that synthesizes taurine in the human body is low, and it mainly relies on the intake of taurine in food to meet the body's needs.
Physiological functions of taurine
1: Promote the brain tissue and intellectual development of infants and young children
Taurine is rich in content and widely distributed in the brain. It can significantly promote the growth and development of the nervous system and cell proliferation and differentiation in a dose-dependent manner. It plays an important role in the development of brain nerve cells. Studies have shown that the taurine content in the brains of premature infants is significantly lower than that of full-term infants. This is because the cysteine sulfenic acid dehydrogenase (CSAD) in premature infants has not yet matured and the synthesis of taurine is not enough to meet the needs of premature infants. The body's needs must be supplemented by breast milk. The content of taurine in breast milk is higher, especially in colostrum. If the supplement is insufficient, the growth and development of children will be slowed down, and their mental development will be retarded. Taurine is closely related to the development of the central nervous system and retina of young children and fetuses. Long-term simple milk feeding can easily cause taurine deficiency.
2: Improve nerve conduction and visual function
In 1975, Hayes et al. reported that if the cat’s feed lacks cattleSulfonic acid will cause retinal degeneration, long-term deficiency, and eventually blindness. The main reason why cats and nocturnal owls prey on mice is that mice are rich in taurine, and eating more can maintain their sharp vision. If infants and young children lack taurine, retinal dysfunction will occur. For patients undergoing long-term intravenous nutrition infusion, if there is no taurine in the infusion, the patient's electroretinogram will change. Only supplementing with a large dose of taurine can correct this change.
3: Prevent cardiovascular disease
In the circulatory system, taurine can inhibit platelet aggregation, lower blood lipids, maintain normal blood pressure and prevent arteriosclerosis; it has a protective effect on myocardial cells and can resist arrhythmia; it has special effects on reducing cholesterol levels in the blood and can treat heart failure. .
4: Affects the absorption of lipids
The function of taurine in the liver is to combine with bile acids to form taurocholic acid, which is necessary for the absorption of lipids in the digestive tract. Taurocholic acid can increase the solubility of lipids and cholesterol, relieve bile obstruction, reduce the cytotoxicity of certain free bile acids, inhibit the formation of cholesterol stones, increase bile flow, etc.
5: Improve endocrine status and enhance human immunity
Taurine can promote the secretion of pituitary hormones and activate pancreatic function, thereby improving the state of the body's endocrine system and beneficially regulating the body's metabolism; it also has the effect of promoting the enhancement of the body's immunity and anti-fatigue.
6: Affects sugar metabolism
Taurine can bind to insulin receptors, promote cellular uptake and utilization of glucose, accelerate glycolysis, and reduce blood sugar concentrations. Studies have shown that taurine has certain hypoglycemic effects that do not depend on increasing insulin release. The regulatory effect of taurine on cellular glucose metabolism may be achieved through a post-receptor mechanism, which mainly relies on interaction with the insulin receptor protein rather than directly binding to the islet receptor.
7: Inhibit the occurrence and development of cataracts
Taurine has important functions such as regulating crystal osmotic pressure and anti-oxidation. During the development of cataracts, the sorbic acid content in the lens increases and the crystal osmotic pressure increases. However, the concentration of taurine, an important substance that regulates osmotic pressure, decreases significantly. The antioxidant effect is weakened and the proteins in the crystal are over-oxidized, causing or aggravating the occurrence of cataracts. Supplementing taurine can inhibit the occurrence and development of cataracts.
8: Improve memory function
In animal experimental studies on the relationship between taurine and brain development, it was found that cattleSulfonic acid can promote the learning and memory abilities of rats. Supplementing an appropriate amount of taurine can not only improve the speed and accuracy of learning and memory, but also has a certain effect on the anti-aging of the nervous system.
9: Maintain normal reproductive function
Taurine is needed to maintain normal reproductive function. Some data confirm that when the taurine content in cat feed is less than 0.101%, its reproductive function will be poor, the rate of stillbirth, abortion and congenital defects will increase, and the survival rate of cubs will decrease. Normal reproductive function can be maintained only when it contains more than 0.105%.
10: Other functions
Taurine has a significant effect in preventing and treating iron deficiency anemia. It can not only promote the absorption of iron in the intestine, but also increase the stability of red blood cell membranes. Taurine is also a growth-promoting factor for bifidobacteria in the human intestine, optimizing the intestinal tract. Bacterial group structure; it also has antioxidant and anti-aging effects; it can promote the recovery of acute hepatitis to normal; it has a protective effect on carbon tetrachloride poisoning, and it can inhibit the increase in serum alanine aminoase caused by this. It has a protective effect on nephrotoxicity, and taurine has a protective effect on the changes in rabbit primary renal tubular epithelial cells caused by cisplatin; it has also been reported that taurine can be sedative, analgesic and anti-inflammatory, and can treat frostbite, KCN poisoning and metastasis. It also has a preventive and therapeutic effect on headaches.
Drug effects;
(1) Strengthen liver and choleretic effect: Guinea pig experiments show that taurine can relieve bile obstruction and exhibit choleretic effect.
(2) Antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effects: This product may lower body temperature through its effect on the central 5-ht system or catecholamine system
(3) Antihypertensive effect
(4) Cardiotonic and antiarrhythmic effects
(5) Hypoglycemic effect
(6) Taurine has the effect of relaxing skeletal muscles and antagonizing myotonia