![]() Safety considerations: Taurine can interact with anesthetics, analgesics, antidepressants, antibacterials, antiepileptics, alcohol, and aspirin. Studies have evaluated dosages from 1 gram to 6 grams per day. Suggested dose: There is no established dose, but most supplements contain 500 to 2,000 milligrams of taurine. Legal status: Approved for use as a nutritional supplement by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1984 However, aging and different health conditions can reduce our body’s ability to make taurine.Īlternate name(s): 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, L-taurine, tauric acid It's also often used to enhance stamina in sports nutrition.īecause the body makes taurine, deficiency is rare. It is also considered important to immune health due to its antioxidant properties. It plays an important role in various functions of the body, including maintaining electrolyte balance, formation of bile salts and fat digestion, and the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain. Taurine is synthsized from the antioxidant methionine and the amino acid cysteine in the presence of vitamin B6. Taurine is commonly referred to as a conditionally essential amino acid, meaning the body can produce it naturally, except in certain instances, like during illness and stress. In a carboxyl group, one oxygen atom is double bonded to a carbon atom whilst another oxygen atom is single bonded to the same carbon atom on one side and single bonded to a hydrogen atom on the other.Westend61 / Getty Images How Does Taurine Function in the Body? In medical and scientific literature, taurine is often referred to as an amino acid as it is derived from cysteine However, technically taurine is not an amino acid.Īmino acids have a carboxyl group in their structure which taurine does not. Taurine can also be derived through the reaction of sulfurous acid and aziridine. Cats are not able to synthesize the taurine compound and acquire it from their diet.Ĭommercially produced taurine is usually derived from isethionic acid. Taurine is produced as an additive to cat food. Taurine is created for both human medical/pharmaceutical purposes and for use within the pet food industry. Synthesized taurine is used in commercial products. Taurine can also be chemically synthesized (created artificially and not by the body). In adult males, taurine is also produced within the testes ( testicles). Positioned behind the stomach, the pancreas is a gland which manufactures hormones and digestive enzymes. Within the body, taurine is synthesized within the pancreas through a pathway in which cysteine is oxidized to create cysteine sulphuric acid. ![]() Taurine can be produced by the body (through biosynthesis) or produced as a man made chemical (through chemical synthesis). One benefit of taurine is using taurine supplements to raise taurine levels in vegans. Foods rich in taurine include:Īs foods rich in taurine include meat and fish, levels of taurine in vegans can be lower than non-vegans who include meat and fish in their diet. ![]() Natural sources of taurine come from a variety of food items. white blood cells Foods sources of taurine.Other areas of the body with concentrations of taurine include: Smaller quantities of taurine are found within the cells of humans and many animals. Within the body, significant levels of taurine are found within bile and the lower intestine. 'Taurus' is the Latin word for bull or ox. Stored in the gallbladder, bile helps the body digest food, particularly fats.Īs an ox is an adult castrated male bull, Gmelin and Tiedemann named the isolated compound 'taurine'. Bile is the digestive juice produced in the liver. In 1827, German chemists Leopold Gmelin and Friedrich Tiedemann isolated taurine from ox bile. The structural formula of taurine is C 2H 7NO 3S How was taurine discovered? As cysteine contains sulfur, & taurine is derived from cysteine, taurine is also classed as a sulfonic acid. Taurine is a chemical compound found within humans and many animals What is taurine derived from?Īn organic acid, taurine is derived from cysteine (an amino acid).
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