What is taurine and why do we need it?

People talk more and more about how much we need taurine and how important it is for athletes, and it is heavily advertised as a supplement in all sorts of variations. But how does taurine actually affect our body, and why do we need it?

What does taurine do?

This amino acid is needed for the development and function of the nervous system and for normal vision. It is a component of bile, helps digest dietary fats, regulates heart function and keeps our cell membranes stable. It is an antioxidant and helps remove harmful substances from the body.

This compound is found in relatively large amounts in the brain, because taurine is a regulator of the nervous system.

Taurine is important for the development of the nervous system in infants and children. Breast milk is high in taurine, and over the last decade taurine has been added to powdered infant formula. Taurine is an essential substance for the human body; without it, a young athlete’s body, for example, could not develop and grow. Taurine deficiency causes serious health problems.

In complementary medicine, this amino acid is used to treat heart failure, water retention, hypertension, asthma, seizures and macular disease. If conventional medicine understood the value of taurine, it would be among the three most popular drugs.

Unlike other amino acids, taurine is not part of the body’s proteins. Instead, it directs the work of the cell membrane by regulating the ratio of K to Na. It keeps K and Mg inside the cell and excess Na outside it. In this way it acts as a diuretic, but unlike diuretic medications, it is not a cell poison. It does not harm the kidneys. In fact, it eases kidney disease and is used as a treatment for some kidney conditions.

Regular intake of this amino acid protects against acidic processes and:

• strengthens the immune system,
• strengthens the heart muscle,
• stabilizes the heart rhythm,
• prevents blood clots,
• prevents diabetes and supports metabolism.

How taurine helps with various ailments

Taurine is an effective active ingredient in all conditions where the amount of fluid in the body needs to be reduced, for example swelling on long flights, when menstruation is approaching, and so on.

Heart disease: Many athletes with high blood pressure have used taurine for years and gained real benefit from it. This amino acid flushes excess fluid out of the body, which lowers blood pressure, and calms the sympathetic nervous system (which can constrict blood vessels), thereby eliminating the arterial spasms that cause blood pressure to rise.

Seizures. In people with epilepsy or brain spasms, seizures decrease and disappear when they use taurine. If they stop taking taurine, the seizures return. Taurine also eliminates convulsions caused by swelling of brain tissue. For example, in the case of brain tumors.

Vision problems: The rods and cones in the retina of the eye contain a high concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids, more than any other cells in the body. These fats need constant protection from an acidic environment, which is provided by nutrients, including taurine. Taurine deficiency causes retinal damage. Without enough taurine, white blood cells lose their activity, which weakens the immune system.

Diabetes: Taurine helps stabilize blood sugar levels in both type I and type II diabetes. In people with type II diabetes, it increases the sensitivity of cells to insulin. In type I diabetes, a daily dose of 1.5 grams lowers blood sugar and eliminates abnormal platelet activity. In people with diabetes, taurine concentration is below normal, which increases their susceptibility to retinopathy and heart disease.

Fat metabolism: Breaking down cholesterol requires a bile enzyme, which is produced in the liver with the help of taurine. When taurine is present, bile stays liquid and there is less chance of gallstones forming. This is especially important for people who have had their gallbladder surgically removed or who have liver function disorders. In addition, taurine helps digest fat in people who have fibrosis of the gallbladder.

Breathing difficulties: Our lungs are damaged by free radicals. They affect the lungs more than other organs. Taurine protects lung tissue. This supplement is needed by every small child. It is especially important for children who suffer from hydrocephalus (“water on the brain”). It is essential to give it to children with rapid calcium growth.

Scientific studies have shown that taurine improves the permeability of calcium channels and takes part in many other physiological functions. In this way, it reduces calcium-induced heart damage and normalizes blood pressure; lowers the risk of gallstone formation and reduces cholesterol levels; takes part in visual function, and so on. Knowing this, taurine is evidently a substance that an elixir of life granting eternal youth should contain.

What would happen without taurine?

1. Bile would not be able to function as the body needs it to, i.e. it would not be able to synthesize the acids required for certain functions to work;
2. Heart rhythm disorders in, presumably, a hundred percent of people, which would probably lead us to a heart attack;
3. The central nervous system would be unstable, because without taurine it would be too passive;
4. The cell membranes in the body would be unstable, which would mean cells breaking down – or actually not forming in the first place;
5. Vision would be significantly impaired;
6. Thinking ability would be deficient, because brain neurons would not function the way they should for good cognitive performance.

To get additional taurine, it is most sensible to use pure supplements that contain 100% taurine and no additives.

Source: Turg.Fitness.ee

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