Taurine - a nutrient found in meat, fish and sold as a supplement - extends life and boosts health in a range of animal species, scientists say.Experiments on middle-aged animals showed boosting taurine to youthful levels extended life by over 10% and improved physical and brain health.
"One of the most dramatically downgraded [molecules] was taurine," researcher Dr Vijay Yadav said. In elderly people, levels were 80% lower than in the young. "I thought this is almost too good to be true," said Prof Henning Wackerhage, who was involved in the research at the Technical University of Munich. "Taurine somehow hits the engine room of ageing."Why do taurine levels fall in the first place, if it is so good for health?The researchers performed an analysis of 12,000 people and showed those with more taurine in their blood were generally in better health.
Differences in human biology may stop taurine from working or there may be some evolutionary reason why levels are meant to fall with age. Current evidence - including energy drinks being on the market for decades - suggests taurine is safe.While taurine is in our diet, it would be hard to eat the quantities used in the experiments. The equivalent dose from the animal experiments, scaled up to people would be 3-6g per day.
Prof Wackerhage said rather than rushing for supplements, there were already proven ways of living longer.