Vita gazette – According to researchers from Columbia University in the USA, a type of amino acid found in some foods we consume frequently may be the secret to a long and healthy life.

 A study from Columbia University has revealed that taurine — a nutrient found in meat, fish, dairy and some energy drinks like Celsius, Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar — seems to slow the ageing process and extend healthy lifespans. The researchers found that taurine levels in 60-year-old people were about one-third of those found in 5-year-olds.

Vijay Yadav, “PhD, assistant professor of genetics and development at Columbia University” and a team of researchers conducted experiments with animals and people to determine what role taurine — also produced in the body — plays in health and longevity.

Taurine is a naturally occurring amino acid that’s produced in our bodies and is found in many foods, but it can also be obtained through animal foods such as meat, fish and dairy products. Taurine can also be found in some seaweed and energy drinks.

Yadav, one of the study’s lead authors, stated that they saw the importance of taurine in the body while doing bone resorption research, and they understood the effect of this amino acid in regulating bone development. Similar studies show that taurine benefits the immune system, fighting obesity and the nervous system. “We realised that if taurine regulates all these processes that slow down with age, maybe taurine levels in the bloodstream affect health and lifespan,” Yadav said.

Studies of mice and monkeys confirmed that taurine levels also dropped significantly over time in animals. “That’s when we started to ask if taurine deficiency is a driver of the ageing process, and we set up a large experiment with mice,” Yadav said. They discovered that a diet with taurine supplements increased the average lifespan by 12% in female mice and 10% in males — roughly equal to about seven or eight human years. Additional experiments revealed that taurine “increased energy expenditure, increased bone mass, improved muscle endurance and strength, reduced depression-like and anxious behaviours, reduced insulin resistance and promoted a younger-looking immune system.” And when middle-aged rhesus monkeys were given daily taurine supplements for six months, the monkeys avoided weight gain, reduced their fasting blood glucose, increased bone density and improved the health of their immune systems.“Not only did they find that the animals lived longer, but they also found that they lived healthier lives. “This research reveals that taurine may be the elixir of life within us, enabling us to live longer and healthier lives,” said Vijay Yadav.

But Yadav and other experts caution that it’s too soon to load up on taurine supplements in the expectation that you’ll live to be 150. It’s too early to start shopping for accessories that contain taurine, experts say.

Yadav said: “Only a randomised clinical trial in people will determine if taurine truly has health benefits. Taurine is naturally produced in our bodies, can be obtained naturally in the diet, has no known toxic effects (although it’s rarely used in concentrations used in this study), and can be boosted by exercise. Taurine abundance goes down with age, so restoring taurine to a youthful level in old age may be a promising anti-ageing strategy.”

The results of which were published in the journal Science