Mice had longer lives and monkeys stayed healthier as they aged when given taurine supplements
By Chen Ly
8 June 2023
Further research is required, but taurine supplements could have potential in prolonging people’s longevity
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We lose levels of the amino acid taurine as we age, with experiments in mice and monkeys suggesting that supplements could reverse this loss to keep us healthy and potentially even extend our lifespan.
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Found in many animals, including humans, taurine is naturally synthesised in the pancreas, but can also be obtained by eating animal products. Previous studies have found that taurine deficiencies in early life impair the skeletal muscle and central nervous system in mice, as well as causing retinal degeneration in mice and cats, but little is known about the amino acid’s potential role in ageing.
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To learn more, Vijay Yadav at Columbia University in New York and his colleagues measured taurine concentrations in the blood of mice, monkeys and humans, finding that its levels declined as they all aged. Among the human participants, those aged around 65 had taurine levels that were more than 80 per cent lower than those of the study’s infant participants. In a separate analysis of nearly 12,000 60-year-olds, higher taurine levels correlated with various markers of better health, including a lower prevalence of type 2 diabetes and reduced inflammation.
Next, the researchers wanted to see if reversing taurine’s decline could improve the animals’ health as they aged and potentially extend their lifespan. They therefore gave daily taurine supplements to 14-month-old mice, the equivalent age of a person between 45 and 50 years old.
On average, these mice lived up to 12 per cent longer than those that weren’t given taurine. They also had lower hallmarks of ageing, such as reduced DNA damage and mitochondrial dysfunction. “They were leaner, had improved bone density and muscle strength and had a younger-looking immune system, among other benefits,” says Yadav.