2023-06-12 08:05:48
Taurine, an elixir of life in us? This nutrient, which is less and less present with age, has shown benefits as a supplement: it has extended lifespan in mice and has already shown its potential in humans. Only a clinical trial can confirm or refute these preliminary results.
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« For 25 years, scientists have been trying to find factors that not only allow us to live longer, but also increase the healthy lifespan, i.e. the period during which we remain healthy. at an advanced age says Vijay Yadav, assistant professor of genetics and development at Columbia University and co-author of a new study on taurine, a nutrient associated with aging. It is an amino acid derivative produced naturally by our body and which is also found in food (meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, seaweed). Present in energy drinks, it was suspected of presenting a health hazard but this complaint was later withdrawn.
Add 7 or 8 more years to existence?
Getting older disrupts the levels of various molecules, sometimes forever. Thus, taurine concentrations decline with aging in mice, monkeys, and humans. Taurine levels in 60-year-olds are thought to be only a third of those seen in five-year-olds. ” Restoring taurine to youthful levels in the elderly could be a promising anti-aging strategy “, say the Columbia researchers. Their study published in Science reveals that taurine deficiency promotes aging and that supplementation with this nutrient can increase the lifespan and improve the health of animals.
Two hundred and fifty female and male mice, aged 14 months (about 45 years for humans), participated in the study. Every day, they received either taurine or a control solution. Result: on average, taurine increased lifespan by 12% in female mice and 10% in male mice, which is equivalent to three to four additional months for these animals and seven to eight years for us.
Multiple health benefits…
Also, mice supplemented with taurine for one year were healthier than the others. The nutrient notably suppressed age-related weight gain in female mice, increased bone mass, improved muscle endurance and strength, reduced depressive and anxious behaviors and promoted a younger-looking immune system.
« Similar health effects were observed in middle-aged rhesus monkeys who received daily taurine supplements for six months. Taurine prevented weight gain, reduced fasting blood sugar and markers of liver damage, increased bone density in the spine and legs, and improved their immune system health “, report the authors of the study. At the cellular level, taurine supplementation slowed key markers of aging such as increased DNA damage, telomerase deficiency, impaired mitochondrial function, and cellular senescence.
…To be confirmed in a clinical trial
It is not yet known whether such effects can be transposed to humans, but two preliminary studies have revealed positive associations, without being able to establish a causal link. For example, one experiment examined the relationship between taurine levels and around 50 health parameters in 12,000 European adults aged 60 and over. ” Overall, people with higher taurine levels were healthier, with fewer cases of type 2 diabetes, less obesity, less hypertension, and lower levels of inflammation. “, explain the researchers.
« Only a randomized clinical trial in humans will determine if taurine actually has health benefits. », add Vijay Yadav. According to the professor, taurine has several advantages as a potential anti-aging drug: it is produced naturally by our body (or obtained through food), it has no known toxic effects (at least at low doses) and it can be stimulated through physical exercise.
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