Taurine

Taurine is an important amino acid in our body. It is found mostly in our central nervous system, skeletal muscle, and in greater concentration in our heart and brain. It is made from two sulfur containing amino acids called methionine and cysteine in conjunction with vitamin B6.

Methoinine and cysteine are found in egg yolk and meat as well.

Taurine is commonly found in animal protein and not in Vegetable protein. Vegetarians with a low intake of protein may have difficulty producing taurine in their bodies. In addition to meat, taurine is found in abundance in shell fish. Vegetarians as well as those on a low fat diet will have to be mindful on the amount of taurine consumed.

Cardiovascular Disease

In the cell, taurine keeps potassium and magnesium inside the cell while keeping excessive sodium out. In this sense it works like a diuretic. But unlike prescription diuretics, it is not a cellular poison. It does not act against the kidney, but improves kidney function instead. Taurine is very useful in fighting tissue swelling and fluid accumulation. People with heart failure, liver disease , late stage ovarian cancer, congestive heart failure frequently have unwanted fluid accumulation inside their bodies and people who take long plan flight usually have slight fluid retention.

Taurine has been very successfully used to treat people with high blood pressure. When excessive fluid is normalized, blood pressure becomes normalized. Taurine functions to dampen the sympathetic nervous system, thereby relieving arterial spasm. When blood vessels relax, the body’s blood pressure will fall.

There have been studies showing the positive effectiveness of taurine on heart failure. Aside from having diuretic properties, taurine is able to strengthen the heart muscles and maintain proper calcium balance. Together with Coq10 and
carnitine, taurine is able to regulate the heart’s contractility and guard against toxic threat of chemotherapeutic drugs such as adriamycin(doxorubicin). .

Working together with magnesium, taurine also is able to regulate heart rhythm and help to stabilize it.

Women’s Health

Taurine is an important amino acid in the female body. The female hormone estradiol depresses the formation of taurine in the liver. Women who are on estrogen replacement, birth control pill, or those suffering from excessive estrogen (this is a widespread condition commonly called estrogen dominance) may need more taurine. Taurine is also helpful in clearing excessive fluid retention during menstrual period.

Furthermore, synthetic estrogen replacement therapy blocks the production of taurine in the body , as well as in the case of chemotherapy or the lack of good bacteria in the intestinal tract.

Neurological

Taurine functions in the brain and the heart to stabilize the cell membrane by regulating the electro-chemical forces. It tends to inhibit and modulate neurotransmitters in the brain and helps to stabilize cell membranes. It is beneficial to the gall bladders, eyes, blood vessels, and has some antioxidant and detoxifying activities. Because it aids the movement of potassium, sodium, and calcium in and out of the cell, taurine has been used as a supplementation for epileptics as well as for people who have uncontrollable facial twitches. However, because of its inability to cross the blood brain barrier, the use of taurine to treat people who are in a neurological dysfunctional state is limited.

Between 1 and 3g a day, there is usually no problem.

However at a dosage of more than 5g a day, taurine may occasionally cause loose stool. The general dosage for people who have edema, high blood pressure, and seizure disorders range from 0.5-4g a day. In high doses, taurine may increase slightly the secretion of stomach acid.