If there is something that can resist aging, lose weight, and fight the three highs, everyone may be very curious. If this thing can be eaten and tastes good, then everyone's love for it will be put into action immediately.
A few days ago, a new study on taurine was published in another top academic journal Nature, confirming that taurine can help mice fight obesity caused by dietary intake, and has a positive effect on weight control and energy balance. As soon as this study came out, it instantly attracted the attention of the academic community.
Looking back, in April this year, several Chinese scholars published research results in the top academic journal Cell, showing that supplementing taurine can help enhance the effect of cancer treatment. Previously, Science also published an article on taurine and aging-related research, confirming that taurine can extend the life expectancy of mice and monkeys, improve their multiple health indexes in their later years, and similar effects have been found in humans.
For ordinary people like us, what exactly is taurine, do we need to supplement taurine, and how to supplement it effectively? Today we will talk to you clearly.
The scientific name of taurine is 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, which is widely present in human cell tissues, especially in excitable tissues such as the heart, eyes, brain and muscles. It can be produced by cysteine metabolism in the human body, and it does not necessarily have to be ingested from food, so it is considered a non-essential amino acid.
Of course, it would be better if you can supplement some from food. Taurine plays a variety of important physiological functions in the human body and is definitely a health all-rounder.
Taurine is often added to various sports drinks on the market to improve fatigue and decreased exercise capacity after strenuous exercise.
This is because the presence of taurine can reduce the redox stress response of mitochondria in cells, reduce the generation of free radicals, enable mitochondria to work normally, and produce ATP in a timely and sufficient manner to supply energy to the human body, thereby improving exercise performance.
As the "power plant" of the human body, when the mitochondria are impaired in their function, the energy supply of human cell tissues is affected, and the performance of various physiological functions will also be hindered. This is actually a manifestation of aging. The higher the level of mitochondria in tissues, such as the nervous system, the more obvious this aging performance is, and the cognitive function will be significantly reduced. That's why people lament that "when you get older, your brain is obviously not enough."
Research has found that the level of taurine in animals and humans will continue to decline with age. Supplementing taurine can improve mitochondrial performance, reduce "senescent cells" formed by mitochondrial dysfunction, reduce free radical damage to DNA, and improve the ability of cells to sense nutrition, which can naturally fight aging.
The latest research results published in the journal Nature show that the metabolite of taurine, N-acetyltaurine, can reduce the food intake of both obese and ordinary mice, resulting in weight loss.
The researchers said that although it is still in the animal experiment stage, humans and mice have the same PTER foundation that is sensitive to N-acetyltaurine. In the future, it is expected to explore N-acetyltaurine-based PTER inhibitors for the treatment of obesity caused by excessive food intake.
A study of nearly 12,000 middle-aged people in eastern England found that taurine supplementation may be negatively associated with the occurrence of hypertension and dyslipidemia.
Although some of the above research conclusions are based on animal experiments, whether they can play the same role in humans requires more and more in-depth research. So don't be blindly revelry when you see this, and don't rush to order supplements and sports drinks.
In fact, many of our daily foods contain taurine. Moreover, on the whole, the health effects of taking various nutrient supplements are often not as good as eating foods containing such nutrients directly.
Various animal foods, such as meat, eggs, and especially seafood, such as marine fish, shrimp, shellfish, and animal livers are rich in taurine. Nuts and some algae also contain taurine, but relatively speaking, the taurine content in plant foods is low. Therefore, for strict vegetarians who don't even eat eggs, there may be a risk of taurine deficiency.
Fortunately, if you really don't like eating meat, eggs and seafood, exercise can also promote the increase of taurine levels.
Studies have found that after exercise, the level of taurine and its metabolites in people's bodies will rise to 1.16 times, and the increase is more obvious for friends who usually exercise less and often sit for a long time. Despite this, it is still recommended that everyone combine a balanced diet with exercise, and the effect will be twice the result with half the effort.
An interesting phenomenon is that taurine can improve people's sports performance and relieve sports fatigue, while exercise can promote the increase of taurine levels, thus forming a complete and benign closed loop. It can be seen that the health benefits brought by exercise are not only comprehensive, but also "circular".
It's not good to take too much
So, does everyone need to take extra taurine? Not really.
First of all, taurine is contained in many natural foods. Secondly, excessive intake of taurine can also cause certain health hazards, such as digestive problems and increased burden on kidney metabolism, but overall the safety of taurine is still very high.
Studies have shown that the daily intake of taurine should not exceed 3 grams. In dietary supplements containing taurine on the market, the taurine content is usually lower than this dosage range, which is relatively safe.
For friends who have regular exercise habits (such as anaerobic exercise with a certain intensity), you can take dietary supplements containing taurine before exercise to improve sports fatigue, but don't expect a leap-forward change. To reduce sports fatigue and injuries, you also need to rely on a reasonable exercise plan, scientific pre-exercise warm-up and post-exercise stretching, etc.
For ordinary people, as long as the daily diet structure is reasonable and the combination of meat and vegetables is good, there is no need to worry about taurine deficiency. After all, it is a non-essential amino acid, and the human body can synthesize part of it by itself.
Some people may also want to ask, can additional taurine supplementation achieve better anti-aging effects?
It can only be said that the current research results based on humans are not sufficient. If you feel that your taurine intake is insufficient and you want to supplement it, it is recommended to focus on food supplements, such as eating more seafood appropriately, but be careful not to overdo it. According to the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents", it is best to eat 300~500 grams of seafood per week. It is best to consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for a specific supplement plan. This article is not used as a basis for diagnosis. After all, a reasonable diet, scientific exercise, regular work and rest, and physical and mental happiness are the cornerstones of a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
