Can taurine slow aging?

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Is taurine the next anti-aging wonder? By Alice Park Senior Health Correspondent As a health reporter, I’ve covered quite a few so-called fountains of youth—from resveratrol to rapamycin and even, most recently, the humble multivitamin, which may help improve memory. So I was intrigued when I saw a study published in the reputable journal Science that showed taurine could slow aging in a variety of animal species. Most of us are familiar with taurine as an ingredient in energy drinks, but it turns out there are decades of research on the amino acid, which the study’s researchers built upon. They took a very methodical approach to making their case, and while it’s too early to say taurine can slow aging in people—and way too premature to recommend anything like taking taurine supplements or chugging energy drinks—the stage is set to investigate taurine more thoroughly to see if its remarkable age-slowing effects in animals can translate to people too. Here’s what the research showed: Taurine levels drop with age in mice, worms, monkeys, and people. When mice were fed taurine to bring their levels back up to youthful ones, they lived an average 10% to 12% longer than those who didn’t get taurine. Worms, mice, and monkeys that were fed taurine showed healthier levels of blood sugar and cholesterol, and lower levels of inflammation, all of which are associated with aging. People who exercised to exhaustion on stationary bikes had spikes in their taurine levels in the blood, suggesting that exercise could be a way to boost the compound. READ MORE Share This Story

What Else to Read Why the Supplement Berberine Is Not ‘Nature’s Ozempic’ By Haley Weiss The popular supplement berberine may result in some modest weight loss, but it's nothing like Ozempic and other semaglutide drugs. Read More » After Going to Space, You Need to Spend At Least Three Years on Earth Recovering From Brain Damage By Jeffrey Kluger A new study shows that astronauts who spend over 6 months in space suffer brain swelling—and it can take as long as 3 years on Earth to recover. Read More » Why Wildfire Smoke Travels So Far and How Long It Will Last By Anisha Kohli As wildfires burn in Canada, here's what to know about how far wildfire smoke travels and when experts think U.S. air quality will improve. Read More » Why Wildfire Smoke Turns the Sky Yellow By Jeffrey Kluger It all has to do with sunlight, wavelengths, and particles in the air. Read More » Why Acupuncture Is Going Mainstream in Medicine By Elizabeth Millard Here's what research says about the complementary therapy. Read More »

ONE LAST READ Hospice massage therapy is in demand Fewer than 1% of massage therapists specialize in working with people who are dying, yet hospice and palliative care massage is a valuable service. KFF Health News spoke to therapists who work in this niche about the impact—both physically and emotionally—their work can have. Read More »

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