Taurine

About Taurine

Taurine, chemically 2 aminoethanesulfonic acid, is an amino sulfonic acid and one of the most abundant free amino acids in animal tissues, especially heart, brain, retina and muscle. Its name comes from the Latin taurus, as it was isolated from ox bile in 1827 by Friedrich Tiedemann and Leopold Gmelin. It is not incorporated into proteins. In the liver taurine is conjugated with bile acids to form bile salts such as taurocholic acid, and it also contributes to osmoregulation and calcium handling in heart muscle. Humans synthesize taurine from cysteine, but it is regarded as conditionally essential for premature infants and some patients on long term parenteral nutrition. In cats, which cannot make enough of it, deficiency causes retinal degeneration and dilated cardiomyopathy, which led to its addition to cat food in the late 1980s. Dietary sources are animal foods, especially shellfish, so intake is very low in vegan diets. A 2023 study in Science reported that taurine supplementation extended lifespan and improved health measures in mice, and its role in human aging is under study.