Taurine: A common ingredient found in energy drinks could be the key to anti-ageing

Taurine, a common ingredient found in health supplements and energy drinks, has shown signs of longer and healthier lives in aging mice, worms, and monkeys when given to them in larger quantities.

The amino acid, which is linked to certain aspects of health, is said to decline as animals age. However, with the help of taurine supplements, there is a chance of slowing down age-related health problems, reports Nature.

Although the study could offer a starting point for future research into treatments that help people to stay healthy and live longer, there are many factors of aging, and it is yet to be confirmed whether the findings, published on 8 June in Science, will translate to humans.

"We are looking at a multicentric, multinational intervention trial in humans," said study co-author Vijay Yadav, a geneticist at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, during a press conference discussing the work. "We are very excited to take on that journey."

According to the reports, Yadav and his colleagues study changes in blood levels of chemicals linked to aging, including metabolites, hormones, and micronutrients. Taurine was selected because previous studies have linked it to various aspects of animal and human health, including immunity, bone health, and nervous system function, says Nature.

Studies have revealed that over time, taurine levels decrease in mice, monkeys, and people. Although taurine has not been linked to anti-aging yet, mice that were given taurine had their lifespans increased by around 12% in females and 10% in males, compared with animals in control groups that were not given the extra supplement.

Additionally, the mice which were given taurine experienced several health benefits, including increases in muscle endurance and strength. Females had a reduction in behaviours associated with depression and anxiety, and a strengthened immune system.

The taurine-fed Caenorhabditis elegans worms and middle-aged Macaca mulatta monkeys lived healthier on average than the control group. Some of the positive health benefits from taurine include lower body weight, denser bones, and reduced signs of liver damage.

Herminia Pasantes, a biologist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City warned that aging is complex, and that taurine by itself, or a lack of it, is not what induces or drives the process and that the mice in the experiment were given high doses of taurine relative to their body weight — levels that might far exceed the recommended safe consumption limits if extrapolated to humans.

However, she does believe that to some extent "taurine is a protector of cells and it promotes their survival."

A typical energy drink contains around 1 gram of taurine. "Approximately, these doses will be equivalent to 3 to 6 grams of taurine for an 80-kilogram body weight," says Yadav, which is within safe limits according to European Food Safety Authority recommendations.

At the press conference, Yadav said they would not recommend that people consume over-the-counter taurine supplements to try to preserve health or slow aging.

"We are looking at what are the initial events that taurine elicits in the cells and in different organs," Yadav said. "Only then will we be able to target specific mechanisms."