Scientists have called for a major clinical trial of a substance added to many energy drinks after studies in animals showed that supplementation may slow the ageing process and promote healthier lives.
It is unclear whether humans might benefit in the same way – or whether the required high doses are even safe – but scientists believe the evidence is strong enough to warrant a large-scale trial, particularly given that taurine occurs naturally in the body and is already used as a supplement at lower doses.“Taurine abundance declines with age and reversal of this decline makes animals live longer and healthier lives,” said Dr Vijay Yadav, who led the research at Columbia University in New York.
Yadav’s team homed in on taurine as a potential driver of the ageing process in 2012 when an analysis of blood compounds found that levels of the amino acid dropped dramatically with age in mice, monkeys and humans. By the age of 60, taurine levels in a typical person slumped to one-third of that seen in five-year-olds, they found.
Beyond improving health, mice on taurine lived longer – on average an extra 10% for males and 12% for females, amounting to an additional three to four months, the equivalent of seven or eight human years. A comparable dose for humans would be three to six grams a day.