Taurine Spotlight: Eye health, mitochondrial function, and lifespan extention
Making my tired eyes see better? Genetic Lifehacks Weekly Newsletter
I spend a lot of time in front of a computer screen-reading research, writing, answering emails, and so on. I’ve noticed that while my eyesight is usually great, things get pretty fuzzy when my eyes are tired. This affects both my near and far vision. (I live in Montana, so I'm always trying to figure out whether the animals grazing a mile or two away are elk, antelope, or cattle. Sometimes they are just fuzzy brown blobs.)
The decrease in visual acuity is especially noticeable in the evenings. Interestingly, it doesn’t happen every day, which led me to look into how different nutrients and supplements might impact my eyesight.
The eyes require a lot of mitochondrial energy production, which in turn generates reactive oxygen species. While researching vision fatigue, I came across several studies on the role of taurine in eye health, including decreasing ROS. Taurine is a supplement I was taking occasionally, but honestly, I couldn’t remember all the reasons I bought it, so I didn’t add it to my smoothie every day. (Yeah - my next article should be on memory supplements!)
I'm now experimenting with supplementing with taurine regularly, and I'll let you know if it helps with my eye fatigue. So far, it seems to be helping.
The taurine and eye health research prompted me to do a complete overhaul and update on my article about taurine from a couple of years ago. You can check it out here.
One interesting nugget that I found in reading about taurine and eye health is that researchers create animal models of taurine deficiency by putting beta-alanine in their water for a month. If you use beta-alanine as a pre-workout supplement regularly, take note - it uses the same transporters as taurine and can prevent taurine from being absorbed.
Speaking of updates, I’m working on revising many of my articles to include recap sections and more charts or tables to better summarize the information. Let me know if you find these helpful.
All the best,
~ Debbie
Taurine: Healthspan, Mitochondrial Function, and Heart Health
Key takeaways:
~ Increasing taurine levels may be beneficial for healthspan and healthy longevity.
~ Taurine helps mitochondrial energy production, acts as an antioxidant, balances calcium in cells, interacts with bile acids, and is neuroprotective.
~ Your cells can synthesize some taurine, but you also need to get taurine from food. Taurine levels decrease in aging, and supplemental taurine may help prevent the diseases associated with aging (e.g. heart disease, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, mitochondrial dysfunction).
What is taurine, and why is it important?
Taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid found throughout the body. While the liver can make some taurine from cysteine, most of the taurine in the body comes from foods like beef, shellfish, and dark poultry meat.[ref]
Taurine is used in many ways throughout the body. It supports nerve growth, muscle function, and bile acid production, and it is important for brain function. It is also involved in a number of cellular processes, including regulating minerals and helping with healthy vision.[ref][ref]
Quick fact: The name taurine comes from the Latin word taurus, meaning bull, because the amino acid was first isolated from bulls.
Setting the stage: Taurine Increases Lifespan and Healthspan
Recently, a longevity study published in Science caught my eye. The researchers discovered that taurine deficiency is a driving factor in aging. The study looked at taurine levels in mice, monkeys, and humans and found that levels decline with age. The researchers then used laboratory mice to determine if supplemental taurine could increase lifespan. The results showed that the median lifespan increased by 10 to 12%.[ref]
Research highlight: Taurine supports overall health during aging. Taurine supplementation, beginning in midlife, improved healthspan by positively affecting bone, muscle, pancreas, brain, fat, gut, and immune function.[ref]
This has prompted me to look at the research on taurine: Why it may be a linchpin in healthy longevity, as well as how important it is for overall health at any age. Let’s start with how taurine is synthesized in the body, and then we’ll get into all the clinical studies that use taurine to promote various aspects of wellness.
Recent Longevity Lifehacks article:
Blood-Brain Barrier: Key to Longevity
My latest Longevity Lifehacks article explains new research on how the integrity of the glycocalyx lining the blood-brain barrier is essential for brain health - and overall health - in aging. The new study focuses in on specific components of the glycocalyx that are downregulated in aging, and it shows that reversing the change to the glycocalyx can reverse cognitive decline in aging.
Interesting!