Those who take energy drinks or sports supplements will have noticed that taurine is a common ingredient in these products. For a time, in fact, the belief spread that this compound was obtained from the bull's semen, a fact that was only partly true. The term derives from the Latin taurus, but the reason for giving this amino acid its nickname was that the scientists Friedrich Tiedemann and Leopold Gmelin extracted it for the first time in 1827 from the bile of this animal.
The taurine found in sports supplements and energy drinks is obtained through synthetic processes, but it is also present naturally in a wide range of foods. In addition, it is one of the most abundant amino acids in the human body, but it has a greater presence in the heart muscle and the central nervous system. Its functions are diverse, since it participates in the formation of bile, the osmoregulation and stability of the cell membrane, the metabolization of calcium or in neuronal functioning.
For years, taurine intake (particularly through supplementation) has been associated with various health benefits. Precisely this Thursday, Science magazine has published research led by Columbia University, in New York, which concludes that taking taurine supplements delays aging in mice, macaques, and possibly also in people.
The authors of the work have highlighted that this amino acid decreases biological processes typical of aging, such as inflammation, oxidation or the malfunction of mitochondria. This finding is of great interest because taurine levels decrease significantly with age, and its deficiency is associated with other effects, such as inflammation or abdominal fat.
The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) points out in a report that low levels of this compound have also been linked to cardiomyopathies, renal dysfunction, developmental abnormalities and severe damage to retinal neurons. "But there is no evidence that there is a deficit of this amino acid in the population as is the case with vitamin D and magnesium," says Álex Yañez, doctor of Sports Sciences and master's degree in Sports and Clinical Nutrition.
So why use it in sports nutrition? Yañez explains that it is a stimulant, that is, "anything that is consumed together with this amino acid is assimilated faster and better." In the case of sports supplements, combining taurine with caffeine helps the latter reach the nervous system faster. Other benefits that have been observed of this component are that it "increases protein synthesis, improves cell hydration and increases the production of growth hormone, which is why it is added to many formula milks and is also found naturally in breast milk”, says the expert.
Taurine can also be obtained through the diet in smaller amounts. These are the foods richest in this amino acid:
